Healing Faith
by AimesL
Summary: After a tragic loss and learning the devastating secret of an agent's past, will the team find healing or will this be the heartbreak that breaks them?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Sue Thomas FBEye does not belong to me.

Author's Note: Words in all caps are signed.

**Chapter One**

_I need you, Bobby, and Myles in my office right away._ Jack frowned as he read the curt email from Supervisor Gans. Something must be wrong for Demetrius to communicate in this way. Jack stood drawing glances from everyone on the team, except Tara, who was typing rapidly at her computer, a faint flush staining her cheeks. _Probably emailing Stanley again. _Jack thought wryly.

"Bobby, Myles, D wants to see us."

"Right now, mate?"

"Yes." Bobby and Myles hurriedly stood and followed Jack out of the bullpen.

"Wonder what that was about?" Sue looked at Lucy who shrugged. They both turned to Tara who still had not noticed the men's departure. Lucy and Sue shared a smile. After much hesitation, miscommunication, and confused feelings, Stanley and Tara had finally gotten their relationship on solid footing.

"Come in." D's strained voice responded to Jack's quiet knock. Sharing a concerned look with Myles and Bobby, Jack pushed open the door and led the way in. "Close the door and sit down." D said quietly, not looking at them. They sat and a long minute stretched by. D sighed heavily and lifted his gaze from the papers on his desk. The three men were taken aback by the pain on their friend and supervisor's face.

"I've just had a meeting with the Director and the Director of the NSA."

"What's going on, D?" Jack asked quietly.

D rubbed a hand over his red-rimmed eyes. "Three weeks ago Stanley was sent on a top-secret, emergency assignment to Afghanistan. I don't know what it was about. Things went badly. A week and a half ago, Stanley was kidnapped by terrorists." D hesitated. "Late last night evidence was received that he had been killed sometime during the past three days. It was confirmed this morning."

Silence fell over the office as each man tried to grasp the news. Stanley was dead. Stan the Man. Tara's Stanley. The silence was broken by an audible groan from Bobby. He leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees, and covered his face with his hands. "Does Tara know that Stanley was in danger?"

"No." D responded quietly.

"How was he killed?" Jack's voice was hoarse with emotion.

"Torture."

Silence pervaded the office again. Since Arif Dessa's capture, the team had worked with Stanley on four other cases and they had all become good friends. As Tara and Stanley's relationship deepened he had become like one of the family. Now he was gone. Shock settled over the four men. Protecting them from the pain that would come when the news became real.

"We have to tell Tara." D finally broke the silence. His shoulders slumped with the weight of being supervisor. "Stanley's personal affects will be arriving in a few days. And the evidence of his death."

"No." Bobby shook his head. "She doesn't need to see that."

One side of D's mouth lifted slightly at Bobby's protectiveness. "I agree. But I don't know how we are going to stop her. She is as stubborn as Sue. But right now we need to decide how to tell her and the other girls. Should we tell all three of them together or should Tara be given the news alone?"

The men fell silent once more. None of them wanted to give Tara the news that would shatter her heart.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

"I'll tell her." Myles spoke for the first time since entering the room.

His three coworkers looked at him in surprise. They knew that he had spent more time with Stanley than any of them. Stanley had become the closest thing to a best friend that Myles had ever had. Yet the other men still hesitated to give him a job that required so much emotional sensitivity. D studied Myles' face. It was impossible to tell what the other man was thinking.

Finally, D nodded. "Alright, Myles. Take Tara somewhere private and give her the news. We'll tell Sue and Lucy."

Myles ushered Tara into an empty conference room and quietly locked the door behind him. He briefly wondered what had possessed him to volunteer for this job. But fingering the small object in his pocket, he reminded himself that it was what Stanley would have wanted. Biting his lip hard to control his emotions, Myles pointed Tara to the sofa and pulled a chair around to sit in front of her.

"Okay, Myles." Tara tilted her head and gave him a puzzled look. "What's going on? What's with the secretiveness? Do you have a new girlfriend you need help with? 'Cause if you do, Sue or Lucy are better in that department. Unless of course she communicates in code."

"Tara." Myles broke into her rambling. He hesitated, not sure how to say what had to be said. He remembered D telling him that there was no right way to give this kind of news. Sighing, he plunged forward. "What have you heard from Stanley lately?"

"Not much." Tara shrugged. "At least not directly. He told me that he might be sent on an assignment where he would be unable to communicate for a few weeks. But he set it up where I'll receive a pre-written email from him every day for three months." Tara grinned and shook her head. "I swear, the man must be taking classes in romance. And he's going to have a boatload of emails waiting for him when he returns to civilization."

Myles smiled slightly. "Ah, that would explain all the extra typing you've been doing."

Tara's face flushed. "Have you heard from him?"

"No, not for a few weeks." Myles leaned forward. "Tara, I have some news that I don't want to give you, but I have to. I'm sorry."

Tara's smile disappeared and she nodded."What is it, Myles?"

"Stanley had also told me that he might be sent on assignment. He didn't say where or when. Or what it was about. I still don't know." Myles shrugged. "Tara, he implied that the possible assignment might become dangerous. There were some things he wanted me to do for him if it went badly."

Myles paused. When he continued his voice was gentler than Tara had ever heard it. "I just learned that things did go badly. D had a meeting with the FBI Director and NSA Director this morning. They informed him that Stanley had been sent on a top-secret, emergency assignment to Afghanistan." Myles swallowed. "Stanley was kidnapped by a terrorist group. I don't know who or why. Last night evidence was received that he might have been killed." Myles closed his eyes briefly. "His death was confirmed this morning. I am so sorry, Tara. So sorry."

Tara sat unmoving, staring at nothing. Myles watched her with concern, knowing that she was in shock. The devastating news had not yet reached her heart.

He reached into his pants' pocket and pulled out the small object. "Tara, one of the things Stanley asked me to do was to pick this up and hold it for him." Myles bit his lip again. "And to give it to you, if he couldn't." He placed the small black velvet ring box in her hand.

Tara finally moved. Her fingers stroked the soft velvet of the ring box. The pain of losing Stanley sliced through her like a knife and the dam broke. She leaned forward, gut-wrenching sobs tearing out of her petite form. Not knowing what to do, Myles moved to sit beside her. He was shocked when she turned and leaned into his chest, clinging to his shirt like it was a life- preserver thrown into the ocean. Her tears soaked his shirt and Myles put his arms awkwardly around her.

As he held her and the knowledge that his friend was gone began to become a reality, silent tears slid down Myles' face and fell on Tara's hair.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Jack Hudson startled slightly when his girlfriend of one week took his hand in hers as they strolled down the sidewalk. After years of being just coworkers and friends, it still took him by surprise that Sue Thomas was now his girlfriend. He smiled slightly as he remembered the day three months ago that D had announced that the no-dating policy had been changed to allow each supervisor to decide what would be allowed for his teams. D had decided to allow romantic relationships between members of the three teams under his supervision, though he had warned against unseemly public displays of affection in the office and field. And had promised immediate disciplinary action and possible transfer for any who allowed a relationship to endanger themselves or others.

"Jack…" "Sue…" They both paused. Jack tilted his head toward her. "Go ahead. Please." Sue bit her lip and looked down at their joined hands before shyly glancing back up at Jack. "I just wanted to ask if you would go to church with me Sunday." Jack stopped walking and stared at her in amazement. "How do you do that?" "Do what?" Sue's eyebrows knit together in confusion. Jack shook his head. "I was going to ask you if I could go to church with you Sunday." "You were?" He nodded and his heart melted as her face lit up for a brief moment. They had reached her apartment building and Jack hesitated outside the door. During the week since she had become his girlfriend, he had been walking her all the way to her apartment door and twice he had even gone inside. But tonight it didn't seem right. Tonight his heart was breaking with the loss of a good friend and his mind was a jumble of confused thoughts. "Sue." She turned to him and he saw the wary surprise on her face when she realized that he was not going to follow her into the building. "Sue, it's been a hard day for all of us and the coming days are only going to be harder. I want to go to church with you and Lucy Sunday. And I want to see you tomorrow. But I have some things to do, to think about. I don't know…" His voice trailed off and he shrugged. His dark eyes pleaded for understanding. For a brief instance fear flashed through Sue's eyes, but it was quickly replaced with patient compassion. She placed a gentle hand on his arm. "It's okay, Jack. If you want to get together or just talk on the phone later tomorrow, give me a call. If not, I'll see you Sunday." Relief flooded through Jack. "Thanks, Sue. Call me if you need me. For anything." He pressed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "Goodnight."

Bobby Manning stared at the computer screen in front of him. No new emails. It shouldn't be surprising. He had only checked a hundred times that day. And every day. He sighed, wondering why his heart couldn't let her go. Bobby groaned as he stretched and placed his hands on the keyboard, contemplating writing again. The hours spent at the gym after work had done nothing to ease the pain in his heart. The pain of losing Stanley to terrorists. The pain of losing the one he loved to her career. Bobby looked back at the computer. He shouldn't write. It would only make him look desperate. He hesitated. His hands hovering over the keys. She deserved to know about Stanley. Blinking back tears, Bobby began to type once more. _Dearest Darcy,…_


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Bobby Manning stared at the small house in front of him, wondering if he was doing the right thing. As he had suspected, the lights were still on. Sighing heavily, Bobby climbed from the car. He couldn't face another sleepless night alone with his memories. He couldn't handle another night of checking for an email from LA every few hours. And he didn't want her to be alone. Not tonight.

Not wanting to frighten her by knocking on her door at 2 a.m. he pulled out his phone and tapped out a quick message, letting her know that he was outside. Moments later the door swung open and she stepped back to let him in. Her blonde hair was a tousled mess; her face was pale, and her eyes swollen. She was dressed in warm pajamas despite the fact that it was still nearly 80 degrees outside. Bobby glanced down and saw that she was wearing Eeyore slippers that had to be at least two sizes too big for her small feet. "Are you okay, Bobby? Why are you here?" Her voice was hoarse and he knew that she had been crying. Probably for hours. His heart clenched at the thought of her crying alone.

Bobby shrugged and looked at her uncertainly. "They say that misery loves company and what could be more miserable than a broken heart?" He shrugged again and looked down at the floor. "So, I thought that maybe two broken hearts could keep each other company tonight." He hesitantly raised his gaze to look at her and Tara saw the dark circles under his eyes. She nodded slightly. "Okay. What's in the bag?" She gestured at the large brown sack he carried. "I picked up a few things that I thought might would…" His voice trailed off and he shrugged again, knowing that nothing could help this situation. The man she loved was gone. Snatched from her by a terrorist's evil plot. The evil and hatred they fought against every day had won this round. It had taken one of their own.

"Come on." Tara broke the silence and led the way into the kitchen. Bobby set the bag on the table and reached into it to pull out a half-gallon of mint chocolate chip ice-cream. He handed it to her. "I know it's your favorite." Tara looked at him in surprise. "How did you know it's my favorite?" He gave her a wounded look. "Do you doubt my observational skills, Miss Williams?" While she put the ice-cream in the freezer, he reached into the sack and took out a box of microwave dark hot chocolate, a can of whipped cream, and a bag of miniature colored marshmallows. He laid them on the table. Tara turned around and the light glinted off of something he had not noticed before. There hanging from Tara's neck on a slender gold chain was a beautiful engagement ring. Bobby took a step closer and carefully touched the ring with one finger. The enormanity of all she had lost hit him like a ton of bricks. Moving away, Bobby shifted uncertainly before reaching into the bag to remove the last two items. A stuffed bear wearing a sweater that said "Hug Me" a note attached to the bear's shirt read simply, "I'm here if you need me. Bobby." And a box of tissues.

The pain that had been with Tara all day intensified once more. She doubled over, placing one hand over her heart as the sobs shook her body. Bobby's eyes filled with tears. "Ah, Tara." He opened his arms and she nearly ran into them. Bobby lifted her easily and carried her to the couch. Keeping his arms around her, he sat beside her. "I know, Tara. I know. I know it hurts. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He gently stroked her hair. "But you don't have to do this alone. We all cared for Stanley. We're all going to miss him. And we're behind you. You're not really alone. The whole team cares for you. And I'll always be here for you if you need me." Gradually the intensity of Tara's sobs eased. She raised her head enough to see Bobby, tears still flowing down her face. "Why is your heart broken, Bobby? Is it Darcy?" For one brief moment he allowed the mask he wore to fall away. The agony of rejection in his green eyes took her breath away. She placed a hand on the wet spot on his shirt where her tears had fallen. "I'm sorry, Bobby. I never realized you were hurting so badly. Maybe we can help each other somehow." Bobby nodded and a few tears slipped beneath his control and fell down his face. Tara reached out and gently wiped them away before laying her head on his chest again, one hand clutching her engagement ring.


	5. Chapter 5

Thank You to All who are Reading and Reviewing!

**Chapter Five**

Sue Thomas hoped she was being quiet as she tiptoed around the apartment early Sunday morning. She didn't want to wake her roommate, assuming that Lucy was still asleep behind her closed bedroom door. As she prepared herself for church, Sue wondered what had gotten into Jack. "Mister Not a Morning Person" had txt last night, insisting on picking her up early. He said that they needed to talk.

Sue bit her bottom lip and shared a worried look with Levi. Even though the week since she had started dating Jack had been great, Sue still wasn't sure of his feelings for her. It seemed as though he had only asked her out because everyone expected it. For the hundredth time that week images of Allie, Rhonda, Jessica, and a host of other women flashed through Sue's mind. Jack Hudson could have anyone he wanted. Sue sighed heavily, knowing that what he wanted couldn't be her. Levi's paw on her leg brought Sue out of her thoughts. Her gaze followed him as he trotted to the front door. Jack was here. Breathing a silent prayer for strength to endure whatever the day held, Sue moved to open the door.

Tara Williams' eyes opened slowly as the sun began to shine through the window. She stirred then stopped in surprise as she took in her surroundings. She had been asleep on the couch. Bobby Manning was beside her, his strong arms wrapped firmly around her. The reality of Friday's events came flooding back and tears filled Tara's eyes. She brushed them away and carefully slid out of Bobby's grasp.  
His eyebrows drew together in a frown. "Darcy." He murmured.  
Tara stopped and looked at him. The team thought that Bobby and Darcy had simply gone their separate ways when she moved to LA. But Tara knew the truth. He loved her. He had offered to give up everything and move to LA with her. And she had rejected him. For the first few days after Darcy left alone, Tara had watched Bobby. But he had acted no different. He pestered Myles, teased the girls, was Jack's partner in crime, and charmed everyone he came in contact with (except the bad guys). Tara had assumed he was fine and became caught up in her own relationship with Stanley, falling more and more in love with him over time.

But now as she studied Bobby's sleeping face, Tara saw what she had not seen before. What no one had seen. He had lost weight. It was evident in how his cheekbones protruded more than before. There were dark circles under his eyes. His face was paler than normal.

"I'm sorry, Bobby." Tara whispered quietly, knowing that she had failed her friend. She also knew that if anyone understood the pain she now felt, it was Bobby. Only this was something she didn't want him to understand. She wouldn't wish this hurt on her worst enemy.

Sue picked at her breakfast, waiting for Jack to begin the discussion he said they needed to have. Her stomach hurt. She desperately prayed that, if he had come to his senses and broke up with her, she would be able to keep her composure until after church.  
"Sue," Jack reached across the small table and took her hand in his. He smiled, but it did not reach his eyes. "There are some things that I need to tell you. But I don't really know how."  
Tears began to burn Sue's eyes. "It's okay, Jack. I don't expect you to stay with me, just because everyone else thinks we belong together. You don't need to feel bad. I understand. And I want you to be happy. It's okay. We'll always be friends." She slid her hand out of his.  
Jack stared at her. His mind trying to make sense of what she had said. All he really understood was that there were tears in her beautiful eyes and her hand was no longer in his.

"Sue, what are you talking about? What's wrong, honey?"  
She looked down at her plate of food. Jack reached over and tilted her chin up with one finger. "Talk to me, Sue. What's going on?" His eyes allowed no arguments.  
"Aren't you…" Sue hesitated. "Aren't you breaking up with me?" Her voice quivered slightly.  
"_What_? Oh, baby, no." Jack grasped her hand again, shaking his head vehemently. "That is _Not_ what I want to talk to you about. Why would you think that?"  
She shrugged. "You could have anyone you want."  
She spoke so softly that Jack had to lean forward to hear her. "I want you, Sue."  
His thumb rubbed the back of her hand. Jack sighed. "I'm sorry if I scared you by being distant the other day. I have a lot on my mind. But I never once even considered breaking up with you. I had a lot of thinking to do yesterday. A lot of soul-searching. And a lot of praying. I also had a meeting with Pastor Emerson. I would like to tell you about it. Okay?"  
Sue nodded.

Jack ran his free hand through his hair. "I've told you that I was born into a good family and got a solid start. What I didn't tell you was that that solid start included church every time the doors were open, family devotions, and youth group activities. I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Savior when I was eleven years old. For a long time I wanted to be a missionary. My parents, pastor, and youth pastor were supportive, but continually encouraged me to pray about my direction in life. Every time I did, I kept coming back to law-enforcement. I wanted to help people. To protect them. And to take a stand against the evil in the world."  
Jack paused and shrugged. "So, I ended up with the bureau. After I had moved out on my own, things began to change. I still went to church and read my Bible, but not as often. After joining the bureau I wanted to be 'one of the guys' I didn't want to be different, so I started drinking an occasional beer when we would go out. And with all the stuff I saw on the job. All the evil. I drifted further and further from what I had been. From what I should be. While there were lines I would not cross, I did a lot of things that were wrong. A lot of things that I'm ashamed of."  
Jack raised his gaze from the table to look at Sue. "And then you came along." He gave her a half-smile. "And you…"  
Jack closed his eyes briefly. "You were a breath of fresh air. You reminded me that there are good things in this world. You reminded me of who I had been. Of the faith I once had. With losing Stanley and everything else that has happened, I needed to make sure of some things. So, like I said, yesterday I did a lot of soul-searching and praying. I had to make sure that the faith I had had was real. That the relationship I had had with God was real and not just something I copied from my parents. And then I had to get it back."  
Jack took a sip from his water glass and glanced at Sue. She squeezed his hand encouragingly. "Afterwards, I met with Pastor Emerson. We talked for a few hours, actually. He was a big help with a lot of things. He says I need accountability. So, this morning I am going to join the church. And I'm going to commit to being as involved as I can be with the job. There's a men's Bible study group that I want to join. And then when I'm ready, I want to start ministering to and helping others."  
Jack paused and swallowed hard. His dark chocolate eyes looked deeply into Sue's and shone with an emotion she had not seen before. It took her breath away. He released her hand and began to sign as he spoke. "Sue, I have fallen completely and hopelessly in love with you. I want to learn how to love you in the right way. In the way you deserve. I want to become a man you could be proud to be with. I want to become a spiritual leader. I want to be the man you need me to be and want me to be. And even more, I want to become the man God wants me to be."

A lone tear fell from one of Jack's eyes and slid down his face.  
Sue reached over and wiped it away. A few tears of her own falling. "Jack, I am proud of you. I am proud to be with you. And I am even more proud of you right now and of the man I know you will become. And I understand. Our jobs are important, fulfilling, and exciting. But they come with a heavy price. I'm not as close to God as I once was. I need to go back too. Thank you for leading the way."  
Jack reached for her hand again and lifted it to his lips. Keeping his eyes on hers, he pressed a soft kiss on her knuckles. "I love you, Sue."  
"I love you too, Jack."  
He smiled gently. "Could we pray together right now?"  
A huge smile lit Sue's face. "I'd like that."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

"Good morning, everyone." Supervisor Demetrius Gans entered the bullpen Monday morning, carrying a box of pastries and a tray of hot drinks. He was anxious to see how his favorite team was handling the devastating news they had been given Friday.  
The mood in the bullpen was somber as uncharacteristically quiet replies followed his greeting. D crossed the room and set the box of pastries on Jack's desk before handing a specialized hot drink to each team member.  
"Has anyone talked to Tara? How is she doing?" D asked.  
"I was with her some this weekend." Bobby shrugged. "She's hanging on. She's tough." He accepted the coffee D held out to him. "Thanks, mate."  
D frowned at the lackluster tone of Bobby's voice. He turned as Myles entered the bullpen. "Good morning, Myles." D crossed the room and handed him his hot drink. "How are you doing?"  
Myles looked at D for a moment. He opened his mouth to speak then closed it again and hurriedly turned toward his desk. "I'm fine," drifted over his shoulder.

D sighed. "Listen, guys. We've had a pretty tough year. The blow we were dealt Friday is more than anyone should have to bear. I know you all want to get the terrorists who…" D's voice faltered.  
"Who killed Stanley. But right now we can't go after them. There's not enough information. Too much behind-the-scenes political stuff going on. I'm working on getting the Director to allow us to be the ones to go after these guys as soon as possible. But I don't know when or if that will happen. In the meantime,"  
D paused in surprise as Tara entered the bullpen. "Tara, you didn't have to come in today." "I wanted to." D hesitated, studying her pale face. Maybe it would be better to keep her busy here where the others could keep their eyes on her.  
"Ok." D said softly. "But any time off you need to make arrangements or for personal reasons has already been cleared. You don't have to ask. Just come and go as you need to."  
He smiled slightly. "And feel free to grab any one of these guys you need." He gestured at the rest of the team who were watching the conversation with concern. "I have a feeling that when I finish my announcement they will be begging you to need them for something."

D turned back to face the team. "As I was saying, you guys are the best team in the FBI. And I'm not just saying that because I'm your supervisor or because you're my old team. You have gained a reputation in the bureau."  
D moved and placed a gentle hand on Tara's shoulder. "We're all going to get through what happened together. And we'll be okay. But I want you to know that there is no shame in asking for help. In order for you to continue to be the best team, you have to take care of yourselves. My doors, both office and at home, are open to all of you anytime, day or night. And I want you all to keep in mind that the bureau counselors are also available to you." D squeezed Tara's shoulder before moving to the center of the room, choosing to ignore the stubborn looks on the faces of his agents when he mentioned 'counselors.'

"Our unit has been tagged for a pretty massive undertaking. With the solving of the Jacey Dugard kidnapping a few years back and the arrest of Ariel Castro last year, there's been a push to look at cold missing person cases. A new software has been developed that will allow all of the evidence to be documented and accessed by law-enforcement officers who have requested and been given security clearance. It is hoped that a review of all of these cases will lead to the discovery that some of them are linked, thus lowering the number of unsolved cases and making it more likely that the cases will be solved. Our unit has been given 50 missing person cases dating from ten years ago to review and catalogue."  
D paused. "And you guys are going to be the lead team."

D held up his hand to stop the onslaught of protests that he knew would be coming. "Save your breath. The decision has been made."  
He sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. "I know what you all are thinking. But this assignment has nothing to do with what happened Friday. This isn't some kind of forced time-out from field work. This assignment won't be easy. And while it will be mostly paperwork, it is hoped that it will lead to field work. And I can assure you, the minute something breaks that we need you on this assignment will be pushed back to a lower priority. But for now, this is what you will be concentrating on. I have secured two conference rooms on the eighth floor. You have the rest of the day to decide how you are going to approach this and to get organized. Tomorrow morning members of Joseph and Rob's teams will be available to begin helping."

At lunch time Jack trotted up the two flights of stairs to the eighth floor and entered one of their conference rooms. Lucy and Sue had been trying to organize the ceiling high boxes of evidence.  
"Sue, can I talk to you for a minute?"  
"Sure." Sue followed Jack into the hall.  
"Sue, would you mind if I went to lunch with Bobby? I would like to talk to him about my decision yesterday." Jack paused and shrugged. "And I'm concerned about him. He hasn't been himself today. I know none of us have, but I think there's something else going on with Bobby."  
Sue nodded. "He hasn't seemed quite like his usual self for a while now. I think it would good for you guys to talk. It will give me a chance to spend some time with Lucy and Tara."  
Jack moved closer. "Are you sure?" His dark eyes bore into hers. "If you need me we'll go together."  
Sue glanced around then reached out and laid a comforting hand on Jack's arm. "I'm okay, Jack. You need to talk to Bobby. I know you're probably nervous about talking to him about your faith. But you need to. I know you can do it. And you need to find out what is bothering him too."  
Jack drew in a deep breath and gave her a small smile. "Thank you. I don't know how to talk about faith, but…"  
He looked away for a moment. When his gaze returned his dark chocolate eyes shone with tears. "After losing Stanley, I have to. I have to know where my friends stand. Pray for me?"  
"Of course, I will. You'll do fine. God will give you the words to say."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

Special Agent Bobby Manning narrowed his gaze as he studied his best friend across the small table at Slappy's. The table was filled with food, but neither man was very interested.  
"So, Spark, what's on your mind?" Bobby half-heartedly slid a French fry through a pile of ketchup before popping it into his mouth.  
Jack's head snapped up in surprise. "What do you mean?"  
"Come on, mate. As much as we love Slappy's, I don't think either of us has much of an appetite right now. I know you'd rather be spending time with the beautiful Miss Thomas. So, being the highly trained investigative agent I am, I figure there must be something going on in that thick skull of yours."  
Jack shrugged. He picked up his Sloppy Joe then set it down again. "How are you doing, Crash? I mean, with Stanley and everything?"  
Bobby sighed heavily. He reached for an onion ring and twirled it around one finger. "I don't know. It doesn't seem real. Stanley was one of the best. Just like Shep."  
"And Wes."  
Bobby nodded slightly. "It hurts." He took a sip of his Code Red Mountain Dew. "And it hurts even more to know that Tara is hurting. What about you?" Bobby nodded his head at his friend. "How are you holding up?"  
Jack fiddled with the straw stuck into his Coke, seemingly fascinated by the piece of plastic. He shrugged one shoulder. "I'm alright." He hesitated. "It's made me think about a lot of things."  
"Yeah, like what?"

Bobby's innocent question filled Jack with dread.  
_How could he explain to Bobby his concern for his friend's eternal destiny after years of silence? Would Bobby even listen?_ A moment of silence stretched by as Jack wrestled with his thoughts.  
Bobby began twirling the onion ring again. Distracted, Jack plucked the onion ring off Bobby's long finger and took a bite. "Hey!"  
"Didn't your mom ever tell you not to play with your food, Crash?" He mumbled.  
"Didn't yours ever tell you not to talk with your mouth full?" Bobby shot back.  
Jack smiled slightly and quickly swallowed the mouthful of greasy food. His face became serious again. "Bobby, where do think Stanley is now? What do you believe happens after death?"  
Bobby was quiet. His eyebrows drawn together in thought. But he didn't seem surprised by the question.  
Finally, he shrugged one shoulder. "I don't know, mate. I mean, it's nice to think that there's a heaven and we'll all be together again. But I don't know. I guess I've always kind of thought that death was the end. Nothing left." Tears burned his green eyes as he thought of Shep, Wes, Stanley, and others he had loved and lost simply ceasing to exist.

Gritting his teeth to keep the tears away, Bobby glanced back at Jack. "What about you? What do you think?"  
Jack swallowed hard. "Well, first I think I owe you an apology." He shook his head. "No, I know I owe you an apology." Bobby shifted uncomfortably and started twirling another onion ring. At Jack's look, he chuckled and took a bite instead. "For what?"  
"For not being a very good friend."  
Bobby stared at him in confusion. "What in the world are you jabbering about, mate?" He lifted his sandwich and finally took a bite. Though not as large a one as normal.  
"I've failed you as a friend by not telling you some very important things." Jack rubbed the back of his neck. "See, I don't believe that death is the end. I never have. I believe that everyone ends up in one of two places forever. And you don't get to heaven by just being one of the good guys. I failed you by never telling you how you can go to heaven. And I haven't been living the life I should. So, I'm going to be making some changes."  
"What kind of changes?" Bobby's voice was quiet.  
"Yesterday I joined the church Sue and Lucy attend. I made a commitment to be there as often as I can. And I'm going to start going to a men's Bible study too. I need the accountability. I need to get back to my relationship with God, to learn, and grow. I would like for you to go to church with us. And to the Bible study." Jack paused and took a long sip of his Coke. Bobby glanced around the small dining area of Slappy's uncomfortable with the direction the conversation had taken.  
But he was also curious. "Ok. So, if being one the good guys doesn't get you to heaven, what does a bloke have to do?" "That's just it, Bobby. There is nothing we can do. Our sin has separated us from God. We can't earn or work our way to heaven. It is only through God's Son that we can get there."  
Jack swallowed hard. "I don't know where Stanley is. Or Wes. I do know that Shep was a Christian. I have to know where my friends stand, Bobby. I can't lose another friend, Crash and not know where he is."  
Bobby sat back in his chair and rubbed a hand over his face. "Jack, I understand your urgency if you really believe this. And I know you do. I'll listen to you. And give it some thought. But you're going to have to take it slow." He shrugged. "I don't even know if I believe in God. So, I can't just jump into whatever this is with you. But I do want to know more. Just not right now. Not here. You've given me enough to chew on for the time being."  
Jack sighed and nodded. "Fair enough. I would like for you for to go to church with us and to the Bible study. It'll be every other Monday night."  
Bobby shrugged. "I might do that."

Jack nodded and popped a now cold French fry into his mouth. He studied his friend and knew that Sue was right. Bobby had not really been himself for a long time.  
"Okay, Crash. Your turn. I'll do even better than you. I'll give you a dime for your thoughts. What's been going on with you?"  
Bobby looked away, feeling panicked. He didn't want anyone to know about the hole in his heart. Not even Jack. But he didn't know if he could carry the pain alone anymore. He stared at the food in front of him.  
When he raised his gaze his face was haunted. "It's Darcy."

Jack frowned. "Darcy? What's wrong with her? Is she alright? I thought you two had gone your separate ways when she went to LA."  
Bobby looked back down. "We did. By her choice. I was all set to go with her. Ready to give everything else up if it meant I could be with her. But she said no." He balled his napkin up in his fist.  
Raising his head, he briefly allowed the anguish to show in his green eyes. "I love her, Jack."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

Tuesday morning found Demetrius Gans once again trying to maneuver his way into the Hoover Building with an armload of food and hot caffeine fixes. He grinned wryly at the raised eyebrow of the security guard.  
"You wouldn't be trying to bribe certain federal employees, now would you, Gans?"  
"I prefer to call it an incentive for good behavior. Same as with my kids."  
The guard chuckled. "Yeah, I heard through the grapevine that your guys have been buried in the archives with the new push to link and solve cold cases. There are betting pools on how long Hudson's team lasts before they create their own active case, namely by murdering whoever gave them this assignment or driving you certifiably insane."  
D groaned, knowing that the guard was right. The real work on the cold cases hadn't even begun yet and already his guys were growing restless. All except for Sue. There was something about diving into dusty case files that seemed to enliven Sue. It was downright scary how she could get into the minds of criminals and victims.  
D sighed as he placed his gun in the tray and stepped through the metal detector. He would probably go broke buying 'incentive' for the team before this was all over.  
"You know," the guard continued after handing D's gun back. "If you were to bring some of that incentive over here, I might be inclined to forget the whole bribing federal employees thing."  
D chuckled and held out the pastry box, allowing the guard to select a large chocolate éclair.  
The guard took a bite and closed his eyes in bliss. "D, my man, you are a lifesaver. The wife has been on a health food kick for weeks and she is determined to take me with her."  
D laughed. "Glad I could be of service, James. Just don't tell Helen and get me into trouble." He slapped the man on the shoulder and headed toward the elevators.  
"It might take a little more incentive to keep me quiet." D heard James call after him as he stepped onto the elevator.

After delivering breakfast to the conference room, D stepped into his office carrying his own cup of coffee and pastry. He stopped in his tracks when he saw what was lying on his desk. Sighing heavily, Demetrius circled his desk and read the handwritten note from the Director of the FBI. _"Agent Gans, this is something that no one should ever have to see. I am so sorry. Agent Abbott's personal affects will be released to Agent Williams later today. Please, extend my heartfelt sympathies to her and the rest of your team."_

Taking a deep breath, D sat in his chair and reached for the thick file on his desk. The first several pages were the report on Stanley's mission in Afghanistan and his kidnapping. Most of it was blacked out due to being highly classified. His hands trembling, D turned the last page of the debriefing and began to read the evidence that had been received from Stanley's kidnappers. Video footage of Stanley being tortured had been received and verified, but was not being released.  
Clinching his jaw, D read the list of tortures the videos had captured. Stanley had been cut, burned, and beaten with clubs and a horse whip. All of his fingers and every bone in both his hands had been broken. And yet he still had given the terrorists none of the information they sought. D's heart swelled with pride. Stanley had been tortured far beyond what any human being should ever have to endure, and he had stood firm.  
Taking a sip of coffee to steady his nerves, D hesitated a moment before turning to the pictures at the end of the report. Groaning, he immediately turned and leaned over his garbage can, heaving until his stomach was empty. Slamming the file shut, D stood and punched the wall before allowing the hot tears to fall down his face. Nothing could have prepared him to see Stanley's decapitated and decaying body lying on the desert sand.

Lucy was alone in the bullpen when a tall dark-skinned man entered and sauntered over to her desk. "Special Agent Joseph Davis reporting for duty."  
Lucy looked up into his shining dark eyes and was momentarily speechless when he winked at her. "Oh, you must be the new leader of Team Two. Everyone else is in Conference Room 8A. So, you can just head up there and Jack will tell you what he needs your guys to do."  
Joseph leaned against her desk. "Would I be correct in assuming that you are Lucy Dotson, the FBI's greatest rotor?"  
Lucy grinned. "That would be a correct assumption, yes."  
Joseph nodded. "Thought so. Well, it was nice meeting you. Guess I better head upstairs."  
He was almost out the door when he suddenly turned around. "By the way, Miss Dotson, don't ever let the knuckleheads you work with make you feel unappreciated. Agents Manning, Hudson, and Leland the Third have already threatened me with a fate worse than death if I so much as think about trying to get you to switch to our team." He winked again and was gone.

Jack popped the last bite of his jelly-filled doughnut in his mouth and grinned at Levi's downcast expression. "Sorry, buddy." He ruffled the dog's ears and winked at Sue before hopping off his perch on the conference room table.  
"Ok, guys. These files aren't going to read and catalogue themselves. We need to get started."  
"Do we have to?" Myles moaned.  
"Yes." Jack glanced at Bobby expecting a witty comeback, but he simply stood and headed toward the second conference room where the evidence boxes were stored. Jack frowned, wondering what it would take to bring the old Bobby back. "Sue, before we go next door why don't you update us on what you, Lucy, and Tara have done?"  
"We're working on organizing the cases by similarities, such as gender and age of victim, location and date of disappearance, that sort of thing. We haven't quite finished, but you guys could start reading over the files we have sorted and by tomorrow we should have everything ready to dive into a little deeper."  
"Ok, boys and girls, let's get started."

D sat alone in his dimly lit office. It had been a long day. His tired shoulders slumped as he stared unseeingly at his desk. His team was still reeling from the loss of Stanley. D wasn't sure he was going to be able to pull them through this one. He wanted to go home. It was past time for him to go home. But there was one last thing he had to do. The one thing he had put off all day long. Donna understood. She had sweetly told him to take his time, that she was praying for him, and would be at home waiting whenever he came. D sighed heavily. He didn't deserve such a sweet wife.

The soft knock at the door pulled him out of his thoughts. "Come in." D's quiet voice was hoarse from the emotions that had been spent that day.  
"You wanted to see me?" Tara asked quietly.  
D smiled slightly. "Yeah, Tara. Have a seat, please." D circled his desk and leaned against it. "Tara, I'm going to have to ask you to trust me. Okay?"  
Tara nodded. "Of course. You know I trust you."  
"I know, but I also know that you aren't going to like what I'm going to say." D smiled slightly. He tapped the file lying on his desk. "Tara, this morning I received the report on Stanley's death." D kept his voice gentle. "Most of it is blacked out due to top-level security. We still cannot know the details of his mission. I'm sorry. I hope that one day that information will become available to you. There was video footage received from the kidnappers, but that is not being released either. There is a report on what was in the videos and there are some pictures."  
Tara started to hold out her hand, but D's quiet voice stopped her. "I have decided not to allow you to see those."  
"WHAT!? D,…"  
Demetrius held up his hand. "Tara, please. I can't." He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. "I can't let you see those reports. I will try to answer your questions and to give you any information I can that will help you begin to move forward. But I cannot let you see what I saw this morning. Trust me."  
Tara's pale face grew paler as the implications of what D was saying sank in. She stared at the floor.  
D rubbed a hand over his face and continued. "I'm so sorry, Tara. Stanley was a good man. One of the best. I know that nothing we are suffering can even begin to come close to the pain you're feeling, but we all are hurting over this. And not just the team. The whole country has been hurt." D shrugged. "Even though they don't know it. America has lost one of her finest. He can't be replaced. I can tell you that Stanley stood firm. What he went through is unimaginable, but he didn't give the terrorists one shred of information. Stanley is a hero."  
Tara nodded. "How did he die?" She finally asked, her voice broken. "I mean, I know he was tortured." A tear slid down her face and she clenched her hands into fists. "But how did he die? Please, D, I need to know."  
D hesitated. "Decapitated." He finally spoke the one word quietly.  
Tara shuddered. "NO!" The cry came from deep within her. D moved quickly and pulled Tara into his arms. Once again his tears flowed as Tara's fists plummeted his chest before she collapsed into him sobbing.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

The bullpen was quiet. There was no real work to be done, but no one seemed to want to leave. Except for Myles who had disappeared after a meeting with D.  
Lucy sighed and glanced at the other three occupants of the room. Tara was in a meeting with Demetrius. Sue was sitting at her desk, staring at her computer. Lucy could tell from her glazed eyes that her friend was not seeing anything on the screen in front of her. Bobby was squeezing the life out of a stress ball. Jack was unwinding a pile of paperclips. Levi was looking between the three with sad eyes.  
Lucy picked up her purse and walked over to Sue's desk. "Hey," She waved to get Sue's attention. "I'm heading home. And you should too. Why don't you ask Jack to come over? I think I'll have a long soak in the tub and then read a book in my room. You two can have the living room to yourselves."  
"You don't have to do that, Luce."  
"I know. But I think a long soak and a good book in bed are exactly the medicine I need tonight."  
Sue's brow furrowed in concern. "Are you alright?"  
Lucy shrugged. "Yeah, just tired. You know?"  
Sue nodded.  
"Besides," Lucy whispered. "Jackson's not looking too good. I think an evening alone with you in the comfort of our living room might be what the doctor's ordered for _him_."  
Sue glanced over at Jack. Lucy was right. Something was wrong. Bobby didn't look very well either. But before Sue could reply, Bobby stood, mumbled a 'Good night,' and strode out of the bullpen.  
Sue looked up and met Lucy's concerned eyes. "You might be right, Luce. Thank you." She said and signed.  
"No problem." Lucy signed back before heading out of the bullpen.

After watching Lucy leave the bullpen, Sue shut down her computer and looked down at Levi. "Go get Jack, boy." Levi wagged his tail and trotted over to Jack's desk. He nudged Jack's arm then licked the hand that moved down to pet him. Jack glanced down at the dog then up at Sue. "Going home?" He asked, noticing her purse.  
"Actually, I'm looking for an agent to take pity on me and drive me home. I've been stranded."  
Jack looked at Lucy's empty desk before standing. "I suppose I could be persuaded to rescue a damsel in distress."  
He glanced back down at Levi and sighed. "A prince's work is never done, huh buddy?" Jack straightened and winked at Sue. "Actually, Lucy volunteered to let us have the living room to ourselves tonight. She has a date with the tub and a book. But if you have better things to do…" Her voice trailed off as she turned away.  
"Guess it's just you and me, Levi. Prince Jack is busy."  
Jack snagged her arm and leveled his eyes at her. "You know I don't. I'll never be too busy for you, Sue." He spoke softly. Leaning in, Jack pressed a soft kiss on Sue's forehead before reaching for her hand. "Come on. Let's go home."

True to her word, Lucy had only passed through the living room once on her way to the kitchen for hot chocolate. Jack and Sue sat alone on the couch. Jack's dinner plate sat untouched on the coffee table. Sue knew that when even her Oreo ice-cream dessert couldn't tempt him to eat that something was seriously wrong.

"Jack." She spoke softly.  
He turned his head slightly toward her to indicate that he was listening, but did not look at her.  
"Jack, what's wrong? You haven't eaten anything. And you've hardly said a word since your meeting with D this afternoon." She touched his chin lightly and turned his face to her.  
He kept his eyes down; blocking her from seeing what was in his heart.  
"Please, Jack. Please, talk to me."  
Jack sighed deeply and stroked the back of Sue's hand with his thumb. Releasing her hand, he rubbed his hand through his hair. "I'm sorry, Sue." He said and signed. His hands dropped into his lap and he remained silent.  
"Jack," Sue's heart clenched at the obvious pain he was in. "It's okay. You don't need to be sorry. Just tell me what's going on." She rested a hand over his heart for a moment. "Let me in."  
Jack turned toward her and Sue's breath caught at the haunted look in his dark eyes. "D received the report on Stanley's death today."  
"Oh, is that what your meeting was about?"  
"Yes."  
"When is he going to give the report to the team?"  
"He's not."  
"What? Why?"  
Jack rubbed his face with trembling hands. "I've thrown up three times since the meeting. Sue, I can't… the pictures, I can't get them out of my head. I'm not trying to keep anything from you, but I can't. I don't want you…"  
"Jack, honey." Sue rubbed his arm. "It's alright. It's going to be okay. I trust you. I'm not angry."  
She reached up and gently ran her fingers through his tousled black hair. "Tell me what you can about the report. It might help to talk about some of it."  
"Stanley was tortured beyond anything I could have imagined. But he stood firm. He didn't give them anything. And they… they," Jack swallowed hard. "Sue, they cut his head off."  
Sue fought to keep the horror off her face. Jack needed to talk and he would only clam up and blame himself if he realized that his words were causing her pain.  
"Let it out, honey." Sue whispered.  
Jack groaned and leaned forward, burying his face in his hands. For the first time since learning of Stanley's death, he allowed the tears to fall.

Sue stroked his back gently. "It's okay, darling. It's going to be alright, Jack. I love you."  
Jack sat up and brushed the tears away. Drawing in a ragged breath, he turned to Sue. "I love you too."  
His heart clenched at the tears in her hazel eyes. "I'm so sorry, Sue. I shouldn't have told you. You didn't need to know." "Jack." Sue laid a comforting hand on his arm. "It's okay. You needed to talk. I'll always be here for you. You will always be able to tell me anything."  
Jack smiled. "You too, sweetheart." Jack leaned forward and kissed her. "By the way, I had a very interesting conversation with Joseph today."  
"What about?"  
"He wanted to know if Lucy is seeing anyone."  
"Really?" Sue glanced down the hall towards Lucy's bedroom a mischievous smile filling her face.  
Jack grinned and tapped her temple. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"  
"If you're thinking that it would be fun to match-make for the Matchmaker, then yes, I'm thinking what you're thinking." "That's what I'm thinking. After the guys and I do some research to make sure that Joseph is worthy of our little Matchmaker, of course."  
"Of course."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

Saturday dawned a warm, sunny, early summer day. It was the kind of day that should be spent with family and friends; picnicking, playing, or simply lazing around in the backyard. It was not a day to bury a friend.

Bobby Manning stared into his closet. His hair still dripping from his shower. Today they would be saying goodbye to Stanley. He reached into the closet and pulled out a pair of black pants and a dark red shirt. The colors matched his depressed and angry mood.

Bobby had offered to drive Tara to the memorial service, but she had already asked Myles. He didn't know why he was surprised. Stanley and Myles had been best friends, after all. It made sense that Tara would want to be with Myles today. And Myles would need someone.  
But it only reminded him of how completely alone he was. Jack would be with Sue. D would have his family. And Lucy would be flitting around trying to mother them all. Leaving him, Special Agent Robert Manning, utterly alone.  
_If only Darcy were here_. Bobby closed his eyes at the painful thought. His mind conjured up her presence. The smell of her perfume. The soft silkiness of her hair. The gentleness of her kiss. Bobby grit his teeth and let out a low curse at the selfishness of wanting her standing beside him today, instead of being in LA following her dream. "I'm sorry, Darce."

The ringing of the doorbell caught Bobby's attention as he finished tying his tie. He pulled open the door and stared in surprise at Jack, Sue, and Lucy.  
"Hey, what are you guys doing here?" Bobby's brow furrowed in confusion.  
"We came to get you for the service." Jack shrugged.  
"Yeah," Lucy spoke up. "I was hoping you wouldn't mind escorting me. We wanted to all go together, but…" Her gaze dropped down to Levi. "I didn't want to arrive at the church covered in dog hair."  
Levi whined and hung his head.  
One side of Bobby's mouth lifted slightly. "Yeah, you, me, and Wonder Dog in the back of Jack's car would be a tad bit cramped. But I thought Joseph was going to offer to escort you?"  
"He did." Lucy's eyes dropped back to the ground and she shrugged one slender shoulder. "But he didn't even know Stanley and I…" Her voice faltered and she rolled her lips together to stem the tears that had threatened all morning.  
Bobby's face softened. He stepped out of the apartment and slid an arm around Lucy's shoulders. "It's alright, Luce. Ole' Bobby'd be proud to be your escort."

As they exited the apartment building, Bobby stopped again in surprise when he saw D and Myles' cars parked in front of Jack's.  
Sue laid a gentle hand on his arm. "We're family, Bobby. We stick together. You are not alone." Standing on tiptoe, she kissed his cheek before slipping into the passenger seat of Jack's car.

The drive to the church was silent. Bobby glanced out the window at the people they passed on the sidewalks. Laughing together and enjoying the beautiful day, not knowing that in the desert sand of Afghanistan lay the abandoned body of a young man who had given all for their freedom.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: Song lyrics are not mine.

**Chapter Eleven**

_"I knew a man, called him Sandy Kane,_

_ Few folks even knew his name, But a hero was he. Left a boy, came back a man; Still many just don't understand about the reasons we are free. _

_I can't forget the look in his eyes, or _

_the tears he cried as he said these words to me_

_ All gave some; Some gave all_

_ Some stood through for the red, white, and blue_

_ And some had to fall._

_ And if you ever think of me; _

_Think of all your liberties and recall,_

_ Some gave all._

_ Now Sandy Kane is no longer here,_

_ But his words are oh so clear,_

_ As they echo throughout our land_

_ For all his friends who gave us all,_

_ Who stood the ground and took the fall_

_ To help their fellow man._

_ Love your country, Live with pride,_

_ And don't forget those who died;_

_ America, can't you see_

_ All gave some; Some gave all_

_ Some stood through for the red, white, and blue_

_ And some had to fall_

_ And if you ever think of me, _

_Think of all your liberties, and recall,_

_ Some gave all._

_ And if you ever think of me, _

_Think of all your liberties, and recall, _

_yes recall,_

_ Some gave all._

_ Some Gave All."_

Special Agent Demetrius Gans clenched his jaw and blinked his eyes, trying to hold back the burning tears as the first song filled the church. He slipped his arm around his wife's shoulders and drew her closer, seeking comfort from her presence. His mind filled with images of those he loved who had given all. His little brother David, killed in Iraq. Special Agent James Shepherd, killed in the line of duty. Special Agent Wesley Kenner. And now, NSA Agent Stanley Abbott.

Bobby Manning glanced around the church as the song ended. The place was packed. He recognized most of the people there. FBI agents, NSA agents, Metro PD officers, several men in military uniform, a few firefighters and paramedics. Whether they knew Stanley personally or not didn't matter. They had lost one of their own.

Jack glanced at Sue as Pastor Emerson walked onto the platform. Her hazel eyes shone with tears.  
"YOU OK?"  
She shrugged and leaned closer to him, turning her eyes back toward the front as the pastor began to speak.  
"We are here today to honor the memory of National Security Agent Stanley Abbott. Agent Abbott served his country well. He spent five years serving in the United States Army, spending the majority of those years in the Middle East. After his service with the army ended, Stanley joined the NSA where he served faithfully until his untimely death at the hand of terrorists. Agent Abbott came from a long line of heroes. He was preceded in death by his father, Jacob Stanley Abbott, an army veteran. His mother, Mary Anne Abbott, an ER nurse. And his sister, Anna Elisabeth Abbott, a paramedic who lost her life on September 11, 2001. He is survived by his fiancée, FBI Special Agent Tara Williams, and his brother, Jacob Samuel Abbott, who is currently serving in the U.S Navy. At this time, I would like to ask actor Adam Kinsley to come say a few words."

Everyone looked up in surprise as Adam Kinsley stepped out of a side door and stepped onto the platform.  
"When Tara asked me to speak today, I hesitated. I don't want to do anything to take the focus off the man we have gathered here to honor. I had the privilege of meeting Agent Stanley Abbott when I was observing an FBI team as research for a movie."  
Adam looked at the team sitting together in the front and smiled slightly. "I learned a lot during that time. I had a conversation with one of Stanley's colleagues about the craziness of a world that would push those men and women aside in order to get to me."  
Adam paused and shook his head. "It shouldn't be that way. I'm not a hero. I shouldn't be a celebrity. I make my living saying words that someone else has written. That's all. That's all I am. But there are others, many in this room right now, who put their lives on the line every single day, so that people like me can live out our dreams. And way too often the only acknowledgment they get is criticism when something goes wrong. I would like to see that change. So, today, I ask that all of you who serve in any type of law-enforcement or in the military to please stand."  
A slight gasp was heard as more than a hundred men and women slowly stood to their feet.  
Adam hung his head for a moment and wiped away tears. "All of you, who are still seated, please take a look around. These are the real heroes. They should be the celebrities. And to those of you who are standing, I would like to say thank you from the bottom of my heart."  
Adam's voice faltered slightly. "And I would like to say that I am sorry. I'm sorry for the times you are ignored and for the criticism you face. I know I will never understand all you do and all the sacrifices you make. But thank you and your families. You are heroes. Agent Stanley Abbott was a hero. This song is for all of you."  
Soft music filled the sanctuary as the crowd sat back down.

_"There's a hero if you look inside your heart,_

_ You don't have to be afraid, of what you are;_

_ There's an answer if you reach into your soul,_

_ And the sorrow that you know will melt away._

_ And then a hero comes along with the strength_

_ To carry on, And you cast your fears aside,_

_ And you know you can survive._

_ So when you feel all hope is gone;_

_ Look inside you and be strong,_

_ And you'll finally see the truth_

_ That a hero lies in you._

_ It's a long road, when you face the world alone_

_ No one reaches out a hand for you to hold._

_ You can find love if you search within yourself_

_ And the emptiness you felt will disappear._

_ And then a hero comes along with the strength_

_ To carry on, And you cast your fears aside,_

_ And you know you can survive. _

_ So when you feel all hope is gone,_

_ Look inside you and be strong,_

_ And you'll finally see the truth,_

_ That a hero lies in you._

_ Lord knows dreams are hard to follow,_

_ But don't let anyone tear them away,_

_ Hold on; there will be tomorrow,_

_ In time you'll find the way._

_ And then a hero comes along with the strength_

_ To carry on, And you cast your fears aside,_

_ And you know you can survive._

_ So when you feel all hope is gone,_

_ Look inside you and be strong,_

_ And you'll finally see the truth,_

_ That a hero lies in you."_

Sue squeezed Jack's hand, hating the tears that filled his deep brown eyes.  
He wiped away the tears and pressed a soft kiss on her golden hair. "I love you." He mouthed as gratitude filled him. Jack could only imagine what Tara was going through. He knew that he couldn't survive without Sue.

_"For all those times you stood by me_

_ For all the truth that you made me see_

_ For all the joy you brought to my life_

_ For all the wrong that you made right_

_ For all the love I found in you_

_ I'll be forever thankful, baby_

_ You're the one who held me up,_

_ Never let me fall_

_ You're the one who saw me through it all_

_ You were my strength when I was weak_

_ You were my voice when I couldn't speak_

_ You were my eyes when I couldn't see_

_ You saw the best there was in me_

_ Lifted me up when I couldn't reach_

_ You gave me faith 'cause you believed_

_ I'm everything I am; because you loved me_

_ You gave me wings and made me fly_

_ You touched my hand I could touch the sky_

_ I lost my faith; you gave it back to me_

_ You said no star was out of reach_

_ You stood by me and I stood tall_

_ I had your love, I had it all_

_ I'm grateful for each day you gave me_

_ Maybe I don't know much; _

_ But I know this much is true_

_ I was blessed because I was loved by you._

_ You were my strength when I was weak_

_ You were my voice when I couldn't speak_

_ You were my eyes when I couldn't see_

_ You saw the best there was in me_

_ Lifted me up when I couldn't reach_

_ You gave me faith 'cause you believed_

_ I'm everything I am because you loved me._

_ You were always there for me_

_ The tender wind that carried me_

_ A light in the dark_

_ Shining your love into my life_

_ You've been my inspiration_

_ Through the lies you were the truth_

_ My world is a better place because of you._

_ You were my strength when I was weak_

_ You were my voice when I couldn't speak_

_ You were my eyes when I couldn't see_

_ You saw the best there was in me_

_ Lifted me up when I couldn't reach_

_ You gave me faith 'cause you believed_

_ I'm everything I am because you loved me._

_ I'm everything I am,_

_ Because you loved me."_

A movement on his right drew Bobby's attention away from the slideshow of Stanley. Tara's body was shaking with sobs. On the other side of Bobby Lucy let out a muffled cry and leaned forward, covering her face with her hands. Bobby glanced at Myles over Tara's head. Myles wrapped his arms around Tara and pulled her into him, freeing Bobby to turn to Lucy. He drew her against him, allowing her to bury her face in his chest.  
Bobby glanced back at Myles, shocked to see tears glittering on the stoic agent's cheeks. He realized that through all their years of working together; the cases solved and unsolved, the missing persons rescued and those who died, the terrorists stopped and the attacks that succeeded; through it all he had never before seen Myles cry. Bobby closed his eyes and wondered if Stanley's death would be the straw that would finally break the team.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: Song lyrics are not mine.

**Chapter Twelve**

_"If tomorrow all the things were gone_

_ I'd worked for all my life_

_ And I had to start again,_

_ With just my children and my wife_

_ I'd thank my lucky stars,_

_ To be living here today_

_ 'Cause the flag still stands for freedom_

_ And they can't take that away._

_ And I'm proud to be an American_

_ Where at least I know I'm free_

_ And I won't forget the men who died_

_ Who gave that right to me._

_ And I gladly stand up next to you_

_ And defend her still today_

_ 'Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land._

_ God Bless the USA._

_ From the lakes of Minnesota_

_ To the hills of Tennessee_

_ Across the plains of Texas_

_ From sea to shining sea._

_ From Detroit down to Houston_

_ From New York to L.A._

_ There's pride in every American heart_

_ And it's time we stand and say,_

_ That I'm proud to be an American_

_ Where at least I know I'm free_

_ And I won't forget the men who died_

_ Who gave that right to me._

_ And I gladly stand up next to you_

_ And defend her still today._

_ 'Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land._

_ God Bless the USA."_

_"God Bless America. Land that I love._

_ Stand beside her and guide her_

_ Through the night with the Light from above_

_ From the mountains to the prairie_

_ To the oceans white with foam_

_ God Bless America, my home sweet home._

_ God Bless America, my home sweet home."_

The service was over. The words to the last songs echoed in Bobby's mind as he stood outside the church with Jack and Sue. Sue looked up at him. "Would you like to go to church with us tomorrow, Bobby?"  
He glanced at Jack then back at Sue, looking like a deer caught in the headlights. "I can't. I'm sorry, Sue. I just can't. I…"  
Sue rubbed his arm with a gentle hand. "It's okay, Bobby. You can't believe for us. You have to decide for yourself. We still love you. And you'll always be my big brother. Right?"  
"Absolutely."  
Sensing that Bobby wanted to talk to Jack, Sue slipped away to give Tara and Myles another hug.

Bobby gestured toward the church. "How could your God have let this happen, Jack? If there is a God why didn't He stop this? Where was He when Stanley was being tortured?"  
Jack sighed. "I don't have all the answers, Bobby. I don't understand this either. I do know that God created us with freewill. He didn't make us into robots. What happened to Stanley happened because of the sinful, evil choices of men. And as far as, where God was, He was right there, Bobby. He was with Stanley. And His heart was broken by what they were doing. Stanley didn't die alone."  
Bobby shook his head. "I'm sorry, Jack. I want to believe, but right now I don't think I can."  
"Look, Bobby. Sue's right. You got to figure this out for yourself. Come to church with us. It doesn't have to be tomorrow, but soon. Talk to our pastor. He'll be able to help you more than I can. I'm not trying to pressure you." Jack said when he noticed Bobby trying to shift away.  
"All I'm asking is that you keep an open mind, listen, ask questions, and take a look at the evidence."  
Bobby nodded slightly. "Okay, mate. I can do that. But I need time." Bobby hesitated. "Hey, do you think Lucy would mind riding home with you guys? I'd like to head to the gym."  
"Go ahead. I'll take care of Lucy. You want me to meet you there?"  
Bobby shook his head. "No, spend the day with your lady. Thanks, mate."  
He slapped Jack on the shoulder before walking over to the rest of team.  
Leaning down, he whispered something in Lucy's ear. She nodded before drawing him into a hug. Bobby kissed the top of her head and turned to Myles. He hesitated then started to stretch out his hand. Myles hesitated briefly before pulling Bobby into a hug. The two men slapped each other's backs then Bobby drew in a deep breath before turning to Tara. His heart broke a little more when he saw the tear stains on her face.  
"Come here," he murmured, opening his arms. Tara stepped into them and clung. Bobby allowed Tara to cling to him for a minute before kissing her hair and stepping back.  
"Call me if you need anything?" He raised his eyebrows.  
She nodded. "I will."  
"Promise?"  
A small smile peeked through her tears. "Promise."  
He nodded and dropped a kiss on her forehead before walking away.  
The team watched him go, all but Jack and Tara, wondering why he was so broken.

Jack drove Sue, Lucy, and Levi back to their apartment.  
"Sue." He touched her arm as Lucy disappeared down the hall. "Could I come pick you up after I change clothes?" He shrugged. "I'd like for us to go out somewhere and talk."  
"Sure, Jack. That'll be fine. Lucy is heading to her grandmother's."

Tara turned to Myles as he parked in front of her house. "Would you mind coming in for a little while?"  
He smiled softly. "Anything for you, Tippy Toes."  
"Would you like some coffee?" Tara asked as they entered the house.  
"That would be wonderful. Thank you."  
"I'll make some; just make yourself at home, Myles."  
Myles reached out and snagged her arm. "Why don't you go get comfortable and let me make the coffee? If you could just point me in the right direction."  
Tara directed him toward the kitchen. "Thank you, Myles."

Minutes later Myles and Tara were sitting on her couch, each holding a mug of coffee.  
"I have something for you. From Stanley." Tara set her drink down and crossed the room to a box that Myles recognized. It had been delivered to the bullpen by two somber-faced NSA agents.  
Opening the box carefully, Tara removed a few items and came back to the couch.  
"Here." She sat next to Myles and handed him a sealed envelope with his name on the front written in Stanley's familiar handwriting. "And these."  
The next two items shocked Myles. He lifted his eyes uncertainly. "A Bible?"  
Tara nodded, her own eyes showing her confusion. "It's probably all in your letter. He met a solider while on the assignment who he said had a peace and joy that Stanley wanted. The man told him that it came from his faith in and his relationship with God."  
Tara shrugged. "I don't understand it. He gave me a Bible too with some verses marked." She nodded toward the box of Stanley's personal affects. "And he left me letters. I think they all probably have Bible verses and other things like that." Tara shrugged again. "I don't know if I believe there is a God, especially now. But it was important to Stanley, so I want to find the truth."  
Myles nodded and rubbed a hand over the soft leather cover of the Bible. _Could the answers be in this book?_

Jack and Sue walked around the deserted park, holding hands. Sue glanced at him worriedly. He had showed back up at her apartment with two dozen roses. He had said he wanted to talk, but so far he had not said a word. Sue sighed and stopped walking.  
She turned to Jack and laid a hand on his arm. "What's wrong, Jack?" She asked softly. "You said you wanted to talk, but you haven't said anything. I may be able to read lips, but I can't read minds."  
Jack smiled then looked back down at the ground, the smile fading.  
Sue reached out and lifted his chin with her hand. "What is it, honey?"  
Jack sighed. He lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed her knuckles. "Sue, I love you."  
"I love you too, Jack."  
He ran a hand through his hair and sighed again. "You deserve the very best, sweetheart. I've thought about this and made so many plans. I wanted it to be perfect. I wanted to make all your dreams come true. I love you. I know now is probably not the right time." He gestured around them at the park. "And we're no place special. But…"  
He sighed again and stepped away from her. Lifting his hands he began to sign as he struggled to speak what was on his heart. "SUE, I LOVE YOU WITH EVERY FIBER OF MY BEING. I COULD NEVER LIVE WITHOUT YOU. STANLEY HAD BOUGHT A RING FOR TARA. BUT HE WAITED TO PROPOSE BECAUSE OF THE DANGERS OF THE ASSIGNMENT. HE THOUGHT HE WOULD BE SAVING HER FROM MORE PAIN IF HE DIDN'T COME BACK. BUT I DON'T THINK HE DID. SUE, IF IT WAS ME, I WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO LEAVE WITHOUT YOU KNOWING HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU. HOW MUCH I CARE. HOW CHERISHED YOU ARE. SUE, YOU HAVE BEEN A GREAT ASSET TO OUR TEAM. YOU HAVE BEEN AN AMAZING PARTNER AT WORK. BUT I DON'T WANT YOU TO BE A PARTNER AT WORK ONLY. I WANT YOU TO BE MY PARTNER IN LIFE. I WANT THE HOUSE, THE PICKET FENCE, THE KIDS, AND THE DOG WITH YOU. I WANT TO SHARE DIAPER-CHANGING DUTIES, MIDNIGHT FEEDINGS, AND SCHOOL CARPOOLS WITH YOU. I WANT YOU FOR MY PARTNER IN EVERYTHING. I LOVE YOU. I DON'T WANT TO TAKE YOU HOME AT NIGHT AND HAVE TO LEAVE YOU ANYMORE. I LOVE YOU. I 2KNOW I'M NOT WORTHY OF YOU, BUT I WILL GIVE MY LIFE TO BECOME WORTHY. TO MAKE ALL YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE. SUE, WILL YOU DO ME THE GREATEST HONOR IN THE WORLD AND BECOME MY WIFE?" He knelt down and took her hand in his.  
Tears spilled out of his expressive brown eyes. "Sue, will you marry me?"  
Sue wiped away the tears that were blurring her vision and nodded as a smile filled her face. "Yes, Jack. I will marry you. I love you. I love you so much."  
Jack pulled a delicate ring with a heart-shaped diamond out of his pocket and slid it onto her finger. He kissed her hand before standing. "I love you, Sue. Now and Always." He rested his forehead against hers before capturing her lips in the sweetest of kisses.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

Jack paused in the doorway of the conference room. He quickly signed STAY to Levi when the golden retriever lifted his head and looked at him. The dog settled back down and Jack leaned against the doorpost.  
A tender smile filled his face as he drank in her beauty. Her golden head was bent over a file; her hand absent-mindedly clicked a pen on and off. Jack grinned at the quirk. For some reason her pen clicking never annoyed him like Bobby's finger-drumming and Lucy's bottle squeezing did. Instead, he found himself mesmerized by that one long, slender finger that pushed the pen up and down. Jack wished he could simply stand there and watch her forever. But he couldn't.  
He sighed. "Okay, Levi. Tell her I'm here."  
Levi wagged his tail as he happily obeyed. He was always glad to tell Sue that Jack was there. Especially since it usually meant that a walk and food would soon follow.  
Pawing Sue's leg, Levi turned and looked at Jack, watching eagerly for the familiar "ARE YOU HUNGRY?" sign. To his disappointment Jack seemed to have something else on his mind other than food. Levi sighed and laid back down.

"GOOD MORNING."  
"GOOD MORNING. What are you doing here?"  
Jack shrugged. "I've grown used to our breakfast dates. My day doesn't go right without it. And since you deserted me this morning, I thought I should come to you."  
"Jack, you need to sleep. And since you refuse to do it at night like a normal human being, you need to do it in the mornings whenever you can."  
Jack shrugged. "Time with you is more important."  
He squatted down next to her chair. "But since I did drag myself out of bed and into work early just to see you, I think that the least I deserve is a good morning kiss." He wiggled his eyebrows playfully then closed his eyes and leaned toward her, his mouth pursed comically.  
Sue studied his expectant face and bit her lip, trying not to laugh. She leaned forward just enough to let her breath fan his face. "You might be right, Jack." She said softly.  
Grinning, she dropped a quick kiss on the tip of his nose and backed away quickly.  
Jack's dark eyes flew open in surprise. "That's not the kind of kiss I meant."  
"It wasn't?" Sue asked innocently.  
"No."  
"Oh, well I'm sorry, Jack. But that's all I have. You're too late. Another gentleman already got all of my kisses this morning." She paused. "Didn't you, Levi?"  
Levi barked in agreement and Jack glared at the dog.  
Sue shrugged. "That's what happens to sleepyheads."  
Jack stood. "You do realize that you leave me no choice, but to punish you for that, don't you Miss Thomas?" His hands inched closer to her ribs which he had recently discovered were extremely ticklish.  
Sue glanced down and saw the dangerous position of his hovering hands. Her arms immediately dropped down in an attempt to protect herself. "Jack, no, don't."  
"What?" he asked, poking each of her sides with one finger.  
She squealed and squirmed in the chair. "Stop."  
"What?" Jack laughed. "Sue, I'm barely touching you." He poked her again and she dissolved into giggles as she slithered down in the chair, trying to escape.  
"But it tickles. Please, Jack." Her eyes pleaded with him and Jack melted.  
He held up his hands in surrender. "Okay, I'll stop. For now." He leaned over her shoulder to look at the file on the table. "Why don't you show me what you found?"  
Sue's gaze fell back on the file, but her mind was blank. "Jack." The back of her hand slapped his chest. "I can't concentrate when you're that close."  
"Oh, really, and why is that, Miss Thomas?"  
Sue rolled her eyes.  
Jack chuckled and perched on the edge of the conference room table, deciding he should have pity on her if he wanted to get her out of this room before the others arrived.

Sue looked back down at the file. "It's not much. I just thought it was strange." She shrugged one slender shoulder and bit her bottom lip. "It's probably nothing."  
Jack sighed, hating the uncertainty and insecurity that still plagued her at times.  
He tipped her chin up with one finger. "Sue, your instincts are good. Some of the best. You know that not every theory or lead will led to something. And that's okay. I am sure that whatever you have found will be worth checking out, even if nothing comes of it."  
Sue rolled her lips together.  
"Honey, what is it?"  
She dropped her eyes. "I don't want to disappoint you. I don't want you to change your mind."  
Jack lifted her chin again. "Sue, baby, you could never disappoint me. What do you not want me to change my mind about?"  
Sue didn't answer, but the fingers of her right hand rubbed her engagement ring as tears filled her eyes.  
"Marrying you?"  
She nodded.  
"Sweetheart, there is nothing in this world that could ever change my mind about that. I love you. Please, don't ever doubt that. Okay?"  
Sue nodded again slightly.  
"Okay. Now, show me what you found."  
She handed him a slip of paper with five names written on it. "All five of those women disappeared in D.C within the past ten years. They were all in their teens or early twenties when they disappeared. What I thought was strange was that each new disappearance occurred within a week of the previous case being classified as 'cold.'"  
Jack frowned. "You thinking a rogue cop?"  
Sue shrugged "Maybe." She sighed.  
Jack squeezed her hand comfortingly. None of them ever liked to entertain the idea of a comrade in arms going bad. The betrayal always cut deep.

"GOOD JOB. This definitely gives us something to focus on, instead of just reading old files all day. What do you say, we go get breakfast? We can bring something back for the team. I'll call D and tell him he's off the hook for one day. We can give them our news, have a nice celebratory breakfast, and then get busy on what you found."  
"Looks good."  
Jack grinned and hopped off the table. He extended a hand to her. "Let's go, soon-to-be Mrs. Hudson."  
Levi barked.  
"You too, knucklehead."


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

The Danishes, muffins, and hot chocolate Jack and Sue had purchased for the team had been devoured. The men's hearing had almost returned to normal after Lucy's high-pitched squeals at Jack and Sue's announcement.  
Bobby tossed his trash in the waste basket and crossed the room to Sue. He casually draped an arm across her shoulders. "Before we dive into the dusty files, I have a question for the beautiful future Mrs. Sparky."  
He dropped a kiss on her temple. "If Jack proposed on Saturday, how on earth did you manage to keep it a secret from our lovely little Evil Genius?" He gestured toward Lucy and winked.  
Sue shrugged. "I didn't wear my ring at home or church. After church yesterday Lucy went to her grandmother's and Jack and I went to visit Helga. So neither of us was home much this weekend."  
Myles waved his hand to get her attention. "How is Helga doing?" He asked softly. The memory of the feisty Holocaust survivor bringing a gentle smile to his face.  
Sue gave him a grateful smile for his interest. "She seems to be doing okay. I think she is finally putting the past behind her."

Jack wiped his mouth with a napkin and sent it sailing through the air. It dropped into the trash can. He glanced at Sue and winked. Bobby rolled his eyes.  
"Okay." Jack hopped off the conference table. He crossed over to where the large whiteboard had been set up.  
"Sue found something of interest in the files. Five of our cold cases are young girls who disappeared in the D.C area during the past ten years. The interesting part is that each new kidnapping occurred within a week of the previous case going cold." The team glanced at each other.  
Special Agent Rob Miller finally voiced the thought none of them wanted to say. "Rogue cop." His hand clenched into a fist. Lucy groaned. "Please, tell me that there hasn't been a cop stealing young girls in D.C for at least ten years."  
Jack sighed. "We can't know anything for sure right now. But I'm afraid that's a possibility we have to seriously consider. Lucy," he gestured toward the rotor. She hurried forward with a stack of photos and began arranging them on the board. "Wonderful job, Miss Dotson." Joseph spoke up when she stepped back.  
She glanced at him and he grinned, throwing a wink at her. "Uh, thank you." Lucy stammered as she hurried to stand by Bobby, seeming to feel more comfortable with his broad shoulder blocking her from the attractive Agent Davis.  
Jack shared a smile with Sue.

"Okay. Victim number one," Jack tapped the photo of a blonde, blue-eyed teenage girl. "Michelle Scott, last seen ten years ago walking home from school. She was fourteen years old.  
Victim number two," he pointed to a picture of a pretty African-American teenager. "Mikayla Davis, last seen eight years ago when she left her boyfriend's house to walk home. She was sixteen years old."  
Myles waved a hand. "Was the boyfriend investigated?"  
"Yes." Sue spoke up, her voice quivering.  
Jack eyed her with concern.  
"He always either drove or walked her home because he didn't want her to walk alone. But that day he was running late for his job at a nursing home, so he let her go. He was cleared of all suspicion, but he blamed himself. Two weeks after her disappearance he committed suicide. He was only sixteen too."  
A somber silence fell over the room.  
Jack sighed. "That brings us to victim number three. Natasha James, last seen six years ago when she left her dorm at George Washington University to walk to the library. She was twenty years old.  
Victim four, Katie Anderson. Last seen five years ago, walking home from a babysitting job. She was thirteen years old.  
And victim number five. Marie Peters, last seen three years ago, walking to work. She was twenty-two years old."

Jack looked around the room. "Okay." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "With just that preliminary info, what are some similarities or discrepancies you see?"  
"Three are blonde." Tara spoke up, studying the board.  
"But the other two are African-American." Myles stated. "Serial kidnappers tend to stick with one type of victim."  
Jack nodded. "It's something to keep in mind though. We should do a preliminary review of the other cases. See if we can't find any similar patterns."  
"None of them were snatched from home." Bobby said. "They were all out walking somewhere."  
Jack pointed the marker at him. "Which could rule out premeditation. They all could have simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time."  
"Or the kidnapper was stalking them." Myles interjected. "Seeking for such an opportunity."  
Jack nodded and turned to write that on the board.

"Okay." He said when he had turned back around. "Lucy, check with Metro PD. Make sure we have every shred of evidence they have for these five cases."  
He gestured at the board. "Tara, get all the evidence for these cases catalogued and entered into the new system. Joseph, Rob, get some of your guys to start reviewing the other cases. Have them pull any case with a similar pattern in the disappearance time or with victims that match either of our stereotypes. We'll start re-interviewing the families."  
Sue felt Bobby stiffen next to her. She glanced up at him, noticing his clenched jaw. Frowning, she leaned into him trying to get his attention. But he didn't look at her.  
"Bobby, Myles you take the Scott and Davis families. Sue and I will take the James and Anderson families. Joseph, you and one of your guys take the Peters family. Let's roll."

Before anyone could move Bobby raised a hand. "Jack, do we really have to drag the families into this right now?"  
Jack crossed his arms over his chest. "What do you mean, Crash?"  
"We have too little to go on." He gestured at the board. "The odds against any of these girls ever coming home again are too great. We can't go in there and raise their hopes only to let them crash down again."  
"Bobby, to have even the slightest hope of solving any of these cases we're going to have to re-interview everyone involved. Starting with the families."  
Bobby slammed a fist down on the table, making everyone except Sue jump.  
"Ten years, Jack!" He shouted. "For ten years they've woken up every single day wondering where their daughter and sister is right then. Is she alive? Does she have a roof over her head? Food to eat? Clothes? Is she being beaten? Or worse?" Bobby ran a hand through his dark hair, pulling it in frustration.  
His entire body trembled with his rage. "We can't ride in there and dangle false hope in front of their faces."  
His voice was quieter now. "We can't drag all of that buried pain back to the surface."  
"I don't like the idea any more than you do, Bobby. But we have a job to do. We have to talk to them." Jack raised an eyebrow. "Now, is there something going on here that I should know about? Do I need to get D to reassign you?"  
Bobby shook his head. "I'm fine," he ground out between clenched teeth before striding out of the conference room.

Jack scratched his head and looked around at his team. "Oh-kay. Does anyone know what that little outburst was about?" Joseph and Rob glanced at each other uncomfortably. They didn't want to know anything that they would be obligated to report.  
The rest of Hudson's team shook their heads. Their faces showed their concern for their teammate.  
Myles stood. "Well, since I do not wish to walk to our first interview I guess I better follow my partner." He headed toward the door.  
"Keep an eye on him, Myles. Report any problems to me."  
"Will do, Fearless Leader." Myles saluted before disappearing down the hall.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen**

Sue Thomas glanced over at her fiancé as they walked down the sidewalk toward her apartment building. Jack had been silent throughout most of dinner. He had tried to listen to her attempts at conversation, but Sue had seen the faraway look in his dark eyes and knew that his mind was on Bobby. Rather than resenting the fact that she couldn't distract her fiancé from his problems, Sue found herself falling more in love with him because of his loyalty and love for his best friend.

She laid a hand on his arm and turned to face him. "Jack, Bobby will be alright."  
He shook his head. "Something is really wrong, Sue."  
Sue bit her lip and nodded. "I know," she spoke softly. "He's hurting."  
Sue felt Jack tense and she rubbed his arm gently. "And I think it is something more than Darcy and Stanley. As terrible as those two situations are, I don't think they would cause this kind of reaction in Bobby."  
Jack nodded, staring down at the sidewalk.  
Sue continued. "Jack, you are just one man. An amazing one," she smiled softly. "But still just a man. You can't protect everyone from every hurt in this world. You can't solve every problem. As hard as it is to see Bobby hurting, you're going to have to give him time."  
She rubbed his arm again. "Jack, look at me."  
He kept his head down.  
"Jackson." Sue said more firmly. She lifted his chin with her hand.  
The depth of pain and worry in his deep brown eyes took her breath away and sliced into her heart. "Honey, you are Bobby's best friend. Nothing will ever change that. And I know without any doubt, that Bobby knows how incredibly blessed he is to have you for a best friend. You, Jack Hudson, are the kind of man everyone wishes they had in their corner. Bobby will come to you. You'll just have to give him time. Be available to him, pray for him, and give him time to come to you." Jack looked away and blinked his eyes. He sniffed once and swallowed hard before turning back to Sue. "I love you, Sue."  
"I love you, Jack."  
Jack took both her hands into his. He hesitated as he searched her face. "Sue, could we pray together for Bobby, right now?"  
A loving smile filled Sue's face. "I think that's a wonderful idea."

So on a busy sidewalk in the nation's capital, two of the FBI's finest bowed their heads close together and beseeched their Creator and Savior to help their hurting friend.

The Hoover Building in Washington D.C. was quiet and mostly empty. Only the night security guards, the janitorial staff, and a few teams pulling all-nighters in their efforts to keep the country safe, broke the stillness of the large building.

The bullpen on the sixth floor was dark. Only two desk lamps shone. The only sound in the room was that of fingers typing rapidly at a computer keyboard. But it went unnoticed by the second occupant of the room. Special Agent Bobby Manning sat at his desk. His bleary eyes burning as he pored over the contents of the file in front of him. His exhausted mind struggled to commit every word to memory. A desperation had seized him. He had to find these girls.

Sighing heavily, Bobby closed the file and locked it in a drawer. He glanced at his watch, 12:30 a.m. Rubbing his burning eyes; Bobby contemplated a stop at the gym on the way home.  
He stood, clicked his desk lamp off, and turned to leave, stopping abruptly in surprise. _Why was she still here?  
_Bobby's long legs crossed the distance between their desks quickly and he knelt next to Tara's chair.  
"Tara," he spoke softly. "What are you still doing here?"  
Tara startled and glanced over at him, noticing his presence for the first time. "Oh, hi, Bobby. I just wanted to get some more cases entered into the new system before going home."  
Bobby glanced at her computer screen and frowned. "Tara, it's after midnight. You should have been home hours ago. You can't get all fifty cases done in one night."  
Her shoulders slumped. "I know. I just didn't want to go home." Her hand involuntarily reached up and touched her engagement ring.  
Bobby felt the pieces of his heart break even more. "Ah, Tara. I am so sorry that you are hurting."  
He leaned forward and pressed a kiss on her forehead. "If there was any way I could take all the pain I would."  
Tara shook her head. "I wouldn't let you. You're hurting enough on your own, Bobby." She reached out and laid a gentle hand on the side of his face. He closed his eyes. Her touch soothed some of the rage and despair that had tormented him all day.

"Look," Bobby said as Tara removed her hand. "Realistically we both need to eat and sleep. But I don't think either of us is very inclined to do so. We might have more of a chance of at least eating if we do it together. We can go grab a bite then I'll drive you home. I can pick you up for work in the morning."  
He shrugged. "Consider it membership benefits of the Broken Heart Club. We'll take care of each other. What do you say? Do we have a deal?" Bobby raised an eyebrow and extended his hand.  
Tara hesitated briefly then placed her small hand in his large one. "Deal."  
"Good." Bobby winked and stood up. "Come on, let's get each other fed and to bed." He waited while she shut down her computer.  
"Bobby?"  
"Yeah?"  
"There's not going to be anything open this time of night except fast-food and I'm not sure that will help us."  
"Well, then what do you suggest?"  
"We can go to my place, if you want to. I have canned soup and can make grilled cheese sandwiches."  
Bobby heard his mother's voice echo in his head. _There's no problem that a hot bowl of soup, a warm cheese sandwich, and long talk with God can't cure._  
He smiled down at her. "Sounds perfect."


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen**

Tara pulled open her door early Tuesday morning. A small smile appeared when she saw Bobby. It disappeared when she looked up into his haggard face. He didn't look like he had slept at all. But then she hadn't slept much either.  
"Good morning, Tara." Bobby smiled at her, but it didn't reach his green eyes.  
He held up a bag. "I thought we could have breakfast. Or we could go out to eat if you'd rather."  
"What did you bring?" Tara asked, stepping back to let him in.  
"Eggs from my fridge that need to be eaten before they go bad and muffins from the bakery."  
"Sounds good. I think I have some strawberries and whipped cream we can have too."  
Bobby followed Tara into her small kitchen.  
"Since we normally have doughnuts or pastries I wasn't sure what kind of muffins to get. So, I got a variety of miniature muffins; blueberry, pumpkin, lemon, and chocolate." He eyed her uncertainly.  
Tara gave him a slight smile. "Pumpkin and lemon are two of my favorite flavors."  
"Really?" Bobby added the tidbit to his mental Tara file.

A short time later they were seated across from each other at Tara's small table. Plates of scrambled eggs, miniature muffins, strawberries, and whipped cream set in front of them.  
"Bobby?" Tara glanced up from playing with her eggs.  
"Yeah?"  
"Can I ask you a question?"  
"Of course. What is it?"  
"Do you believe in God?"  
Bobby groaned and rested his forehead on his hand. "Not you too, Tara."  
Her brow furrowed in confusion. "Huh?"  
Bobby sighed. "Jack's gone off on a religious kick." He filled her in on the conversation he and Jack had had at Slappy's.  
"Oh. So do you?"  
"Do I what?"  
"Believe in God?"  
"I don't know. Why? Do you?" His tone was accusatory.  
Tara stared down at her plate. "I'm sorry."  
Bobby sighed. "No, Tara." His voice had gentled. "It's okay. There's no reason for you to be sorry. Do you believe in God? You can tell me. It's okay."  
Tara shrugged. "I don't know." Her voice was quiet and Bobby leaned forward to hear.  
"Stanley left me a Bible and some letters. He became a believer while he was in Afghanistan. I've never heard the things he wrote before. I don't understand it. I thought that maybe you could help."  
Bobby ran a hand over his face. "I wish I could help you. But I don't know what I believe and I don't understand it either. My mom and pop became believers when I was a teen, but…"  
Bobby hesitated. "Well, there was a lot going on so they didn't force me. I refused to go to church and to be honest; I didn't listen when they tried to talk to me about it."  
Tara nodded. "I don't know what I believe either, but it was important to Stanley so I want to learn more. Maybe we could look into it together."  
Bobby shook his head. "I'm sorry, Tara. I can't. I will sometime. I've promised Jack and Sue that I would. But it's not a topic I'm willing to pursue right now."  
Tara nodded.  
Bobby glanced over at her still full plate and frowned. "You need to eat, Tara."  
"So do you. You've lost weight, Bobby."  
He sighed and looked down at his food. Like everything else recently it was unappetizing. "Ok. I'll eat, if you do." He raised an eyebrow. "Deal?"  
"Deal."  
Sharing a sad smile they each lifted a forkful of eggs to their mouths.

A few moments of silence past before Tara spoke again. "Bobby?"  
"Yep?"  
"What's wrong?"  
Bobby swallowed his mouthful of blueberry muffin and frowned. "What do you mean, Tara?"  
She hesitated. "Something is bothering you other than Darcy. I don't think I've ever seen you as angry as you were yesterday. Not even when we thought Wes had been killed by the North Koreans. So, what's wrong?"  
Bobby closed his eyes and let out a deep breath.  
One hand clenched into a fist. "I'm sorry, Beautiful. I can't talk about it."  
Tara looked away. She rolled her lips together and struggled to hold back the tears. But they came anyway.  
Bobby's heart smote him. "Ah, Tara. Don't."  
His eyes closed. "Please, don't. I'm sorry. It has nothing to do with you, Beautiful. I just can't talk about it. Not to anyone. Not even Jack."  
Tara shook her head, trying to stop the tears. "It's not that."  
Bobby reached across the table and took her hand in his. "Then what is it? What did I do to cause these tears? I never want to hurt you."  
"You didn't." Tara choked on a sob.  
"Talk to me, Tara. Please. What did I say to upset you?"  
She shook her head again and wiped away the tears. "You didn't upset me, Bobby. It's just that…" Her voice trailed off. Bobby tugged her hand gently. "Just what?"  
"You're the only man who has ever said that I'm beautiful. I know it's not true. And that you don't mean it, but…" Her voice trailed off again and she shrugged.  
"Tara, look at me."  
She kept her eyes focused on her plate.  
Frowning, Bobby stood and circled the table. He knelt down by her chair.  
"Tara." Bobby gently lifted her chin. "First of all, it is true and I do mean it. Second of all, what do you mean that I'm the only man who has ever said that you're beautiful?"  
"The night we went to the Mojo concert. But I know you were just being polite."  
"No, I wasn't." Bobby insisted. "Tara, you are incredibly beautiful. How can you not know that?" Bobby studied her face for a moment, puzzled. "What about Stanley?" He finally asked quietly.  
Tears filled Tara's eyes again. "I loved Stanley. And I know he loved me. But he wasn't much for giving compliments and when he did it was always about my computer skills."  
Tara shrugged. "I wouldn't want to be seen as just a pretty face, but sometimes it would be nice to be a lady instead of just an agent."  
"Tara," Bobby paused, choosing his words carefully. "I have no doubt that Stanley loved you very much. I know he found you beautiful. I don't know why he never you told. Us guys can be real drongos sometimes."  
Bobby shrugged. "We don't know what to say or how to say it. Tara, please do not doubt that you are beautiful. Because you are. On the outside and on the inside. I wasn't just being polite or returning a compliment the night of the concert. Every word I said was true. And is still true."  
"Every word I said is true too."  
"Thank you, Beautiful." Bobby wiped a tear off of Tara's cheek.  
"Now, how about a hug? Then you go finish getting ready for work and I'll clean up the kitchen." Bobby opened his arms and Tara went into them willingly.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen**

Across town Jack Hudson and Sue Thomas were sitting at a sidewalk table at their favorite deli, enjoying a breakfast of bagels and cream cheese.  
"Jack?"  
His head snapped up quickly as he guiltily pulled his hand back from feeding Levi a bite of bagel.  
Sue glanced down and smiled at the cream cheese on Levi's nose. "Jack." She scolded. "You're going to have to start taking him running with you if you don't quit overfeeding him."  
Jack grinned. "SORRY."  
Sue narrowed her eyes at him. "For some reason I doubt that."  
She hesitated. "Can I ask you a question?"  
Jack reached for her hand. "Of course, sweetheart. What is it?"  
Sue bit her lip nervously.  
"Hey," Jack tugged her hand gently. "It's okay. You can ask me anything. Now, what is it?"  
"Do you want a large wedding?"  
Jack relaxed in his chair, a smile filling his face. He still couldn't believe that the amazing woman across from him had agreed to be his wife.  
"I want whatever you want, Sue. I would go find a justice of the peace right now if it was what you wanted. Or we can invite the entire city of D.C. I love you, sweetheart. As long as I am marrying you, I don't care what the ceremony is like." He reached across the table and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "I just want you to be happy, Sue."  
She turned her head and pressed a kiss on his fingers. "I love you, Jack."  
He grinned. "I love you more."  
Sue rolled her eyes. "Not possible, Sparky."  
Jack wagged a finger at her. "Oh, I think it is very possible, Miss Thomas." He raised an eyebrow. "So, what kind of wedding do you want?"  
Sue rolled her lips together uncertainly. Jack lifted her hand to his lips and placed a kiss on her knuckles. Sue shivered slightly and raised her eyes to meet Jack's. His dark eyes were filled with tenderness.  
He smiled gently. "Come on, sweetheart. Tell me."  
"Well, I've been thinking. And with everything that has gone on lately I don't want to waste any more time."  
Sue shrugged. "There are no guarantees in life. And with losing Stanley and whatever is bothering Bobby, I thought that we all could really use something to be happy about. So, I was wondering what you would think of talking to Pastor Emerson about having a ceremony in the prayer chapel at church with just the team and our immediate families either this weekend or the next."  
A huge smile filled Jack's face. "I think that is a wonderful idea. I'll call Pastor Emerson today to discuss the possibility."


	18. Chapter 18

Thank you for reading and reviewing.

**Chapter Eighteen**

The mood in the eighth floor conference room was growing tense. There had been no new leads since Sue's theory of a rogue cop. The team was growing restless, frustrated, and bored. All except Bobby, he seethed with a barely contained anger. Each new dead end added to his agitation. The normal banter and teasing among the close-knit team was absent as each member eyed their friend anxiously, waiting for the ticking bomb to explode.

Jack glanced at his watch and sighed. He looked at his best friend and wondered if the announcement he had to make would ignite the bomb.  
"Okay, everyone, let's break for lunch. This afternoon we'll pay the families another visit. We need…"  
"You have got to be kidding me, Jack!" Bobby slammed the file he was reading down and stood.  
His chair crashed back against the wall. "We've caused enough damage to those families already."  
Jack met his friend's angry green eyes and forced his voice to stay calm. "We need to find out what they can remember about the search. People who volunteered in the search or offered any other type of help to the family. Maybe we can find a person or organization linked to all the searches."  
He shrugged. "It's a long shot, but right now we got nothing."  
Bobby shook his head and clenched his hands into fists. "We can't do this, Jack. We can't keep raising their hopes and then let them crash down again. We can't make them dredge up the memories they have tried to forget for _ten_ years. Leave the families alone, Jack." His voice was dangerously low.  
Jack squared his shoulders and looked Bobby in the eye. "I don't know what is bothering you, Bobby. But I_ do_ know that we have a job to do and we _are_ going to do it. You get these outbursts under control or I will ask D to either reassign you or give you a forced time off. Is that clear?"  
"Crystal." Bobby spun around and stormed out of the conference room, letting the door slam shut behind him.

The tension in the bullpen after lunch could have been cut with a knife. Bobby had not returned.  
Jack rubbed a hand over his face and leaned against his desk. "Okay. I asked everyone to come here instead of to the conference room because I wanted it to be just our team. Does anyone have any idea what is going on with Bobby?"  
He raised a hand before anyone could say anything. "I realize that if you do, you might be under a promise to not say anything. But the situation is getting out of hand, so if you know anything, please speak up."  
Jack made eye contact with each team member, but they all shook their heads.  
Jack sighed. "Okay. Myles, how has he been out in the field? Do I need to pull him from this case?"  
Myles tilted his head thoughtfully. "He's been okay. Not himself, but okay."  
He shrugged. "The only major difference in his work is the intenseness with which he is approaching this case." Myles hesitated, searching for the right word. "It goes beyond what is normal for him. But based solely on how he is coping while in the field, I would say, no, you don't need to pull him. His outbursts on the other hand…" Myles let his voice trail off.  
Jack nodded. "Well, just keep an eye on him and let me know of any problems. He's not answering his phone, so we'll have to proceed with the afternoon interviews without him. If he checks in with any of you, please let me know immediately." Jack looked down at the sheet of paper in his hands. "Tara, would you prefer to stay here and continue cataloguing cases or would you like to go with Myles on one of the interviews? Since we have Teams Two and Three helping us, you get to choose an assignment." He winked at her.  
Tara hesitated. She would like to have time with Myles, but was not sure she was ready to go into the field. "I'll take an interview." She finally answered.  
"Okay. You and Myles, take the Peters family. Sue and I will take the Anderson family. Joseph and Rob's teams can cover the Scott, Davis, and James families. Lucy, keep trying to reach Bobby and if you have time try to get a few more cases entered into the system."

Jack and Sue sat beside each other on a comfortable sofa in the Anderson home. They could hear the two youngest Anderson children in the next room.  
"Have you found Katie?" Kim Anderson's blue eyes begged them to say yes.  
"I'm sorry, we haven't." Sue spoke softly.  
Mrs. Anderson's shoulders slumped and she leaned against her husband.  
Jon Anderson looked at them wearily. "We'll do anything to get our little girl back, but I don't know what else we can do." He shrugged helplessly. "What do you want from us?"  
Jack leaned forward. "We are currently reopening several missing person cases. We are checking to see if there is any possibility of the cases being related. We need you to give us the names of anyone who volunteered to help you in the weeks after Katie disappeared. People who took part in the search, both volunteers and law-enforcement officers. Charitable or religious organizations that might have offered help. Anyone who was around during the active search for Katie."  
He glanced briefly at Sue. "We also wanted to remind you to not mention our reopening the case to anyone. Not even your closest family and friends. It is _extremely_ important that no one learns that we are looking at these cases."  
Jon and Kim looked at each other. "We haven't told anyone." Jon said. "I don't know if we can remember any names off the top of our heads, but we will start working on a list right away."  
Jack nodded. "Good." He handed Jon a business card. "Call me as soon as you have anything."  
"Katie's alive, isn't she?" Kim asked. Her voice filled with desperation.  
Jack shared a glance with Sue. "We hope and pray that she is." He spoke gently. "And we are doing our very best to find her. But I'm afraid we don't know the answer to that question."  
"No." Kim shook her head, her eyes filling with tears. "You don't understand. She's alive. My little girl is alive." Her voice broke. "I would know if she wasn't."  
Kim Anderson placed a trembling hand over her heart. "I would feel it if my little girl was dead. She's not. I know she's alive. I can feel her. You have to find her."  
She leaned forward and grabbed Sue's hands. "Please. You have to find my baby."  
Jon pulled his wife back from Sue. "Shh, it's okay, honey. It's alright." His own eyes were wet as he looked at Jack. "Thank you for trying to help. I know you'll do your best."

The drive back to the Hoover building was silent.  
Jack touched Sue's shoulder after parking the car. "ARE YOU OK?"  
She nodded, but her sad eyes told him that she wasn't. He knew that her sweet heart was breaking for the hurting families. Jack loved Sue's compassionate nature, but it broke his heart to see her take on the pain of everyone around her.  
Jack climbed from the car and quickly circled it to open her door. "COME HERE." He pulled her into his strong arms.  
Sue buried her face in his shoulder, letting his strength soothe away some of the pain. After several minutes she raised her head. "Bobby's right, isn't he?"  
Jack frowned. "About what?"  
"We're just making things worse. We're hurting them." Her voice quivered.  
Jack stroked her hair. "We're doing our jobs, Sue. But more importantly, we are doing everything in our power to solve these cases and find the missing girls. I don't like having to ask families to relive the most painful moments of their lives either. But if it leads to a reunion with their loved one it will be more than worth it to them."  
He paused and swallowed hard. "And if the girls are not alive, at least it will bring some type of closure and they will be able to start moving forward, knowing the truth."  
Jack rested his forehead against Sue's for a moment before bending his head to capture her mouth with a kiss. When he pulled back he smiled at her softly. "Are you going to be okay?"  
Sue nodded.  
Jack raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"  
"Yes."  
"Good." He kissed her forehead then stepped back a quizzical expression on his face.  
"What?"  
"Oh, nothing. I was just wondering if I've told you today that I love you."  
Sue tilted her head a smile playing at the corners of her lips. "I don't know. Have you?"  
"I'm not sure." Jack waved a hand in the air. "Maybe I'll get around to it sometime." He grabbed her hand and led her toward the parking garage stairs.  
Once they entered the stairwell Jack gently pushed Sue against the wall. "Sue Thomas, soon to be Mrs. Hudson, I love you."  
"I love you too, Jackson Samuel Hudson." They leaned in for another kiss, but just before their lips met Levi barked and pawed at their legs. Jack looked down in exasperation. "What is it, Levi?"  
The dog tilted his head to one side and barked again.  
Jack looked at Sue and rolled his eyes. "What did he say?"  
Sue grinned. "He wants to know if you love him too."  
Jack chuckled. He leaned down and scratched the dog's ears. "Yes, I love you too, knucklehead."


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter Nineteen**

It was raining in D.C. A cold rain that drenched everything within seconds. But Jack Hudson didn't seem to notice as he slowly made his way back to his car. After hours of searching, he still had not found his best friend. There was only one more place he could think of to look. And he desperately did not want Bobby to be there. Sighing heavily, Jack climbed into his car, wiped the rain off his face, and carefully drove across town.

Jack parked his car, turned off the ignition, and stared at the building in front of him. A crushing weight of despair settled over him, pressing him into the seat. He knew that inside the building a high-stakes poker game was being played. Jack clenched the steering-wheel in his hands. The pain and anger nearly suffocating him. He didn't know if he would have the strength to pull Bobby out of the darkness once again.  
Groaning, Jack let his head fall forward to rest on the steering-wheel. _"Please, Lord."_ He prayed. _"Please, don't let Bobby be in there. Protect him, Lord. Wherever he is. Please. Help me find him. Lead me to him, Lord. Lord, I know You love him. Please, help him to see that. Draw him to You and save him, Lord. Please. Protect him. Please, show me how to help him."_

Myles Leland the Third sat alone in his house, listening to the rain. Only the light from one small lamp broke the darkness. Its light glittered on the tears sliding down his face. Before Stanley's death Myles had not minded solitude. He had needed the quiet to soothe his spirit and recharge his mind. But now the knowledge that he would never again be able to pick up the phone and call his friend was crushing him. The walls were closing in and Myles found it difficult to breathe. Struggling to calm himself, he ran his hands over the soft cover of the book he held. The Bible that Stanley had left for him. Myles was intrigued by the evidences for the existence of God that Stanley had shared in his final letter and by the Bible verses he had marked. Myles leaned forward and let his forehead rest on the book in his lap. _Could it all be true?_ He wondered.

The bullpen was dark again. The heavy stillness broken only by the sound of occasional typing. Tonight she was alone. There would be no gentle hand to lead her home. No friendly shoulder to cry on. Tonight her fellow sufferer was fighting his own demons alone. Demons that no one knew about.  
Tara Williams rubbed her tired eyes and reached down into the box by her desk for another file that she had requested. It felt worn and fragile with use. Obviously, at one time someone had taken a great interest in this case. Tara flipped the file open and her heart stopped. Staring back at her was an adorable little girl with wavy, dark brown hair cascading down her shoulders, sparkling green eyes, and a mischievous, dimpled smile. _It couldn't be_. Tara scanned the information on the first page. Tears filled her eyes. "Oh, Bobby."


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter Twenty**

The shrill ringing of a phone penetrated the darkness and pulled Jack Hudson out of the nightmare that was tormenting his sleep.  
Breathing heavily, he groped for his cell phone and flipped it open. "Yeah," he barked hoarsely.  
Listening intently, Jack shoved the twisted covers off and swung his legs over the side of his bed. "I'm on my way." Jack cradled the phone with his shoulder and reached for a pair of jeans. "Don't let him leave."

Fifteen minutes later Jack was turning his car into the parking lot of the 24-hour gym that he, Bobby, Myles, and D frequented. Together they would release the tension from hard cases by challenging each other to basketball and racquetball competitions. It was where Jack had made a complete fool of himself, bench-pressing 300 pounds in an attempt to impress Sue, while Bobby tried his best to convince him that Sue was in love with him.

"He's still here." The older man at the front desk said when Jack rushed through the doors.  
Jack forced himself to slow down and crossed the lobby to the desk. "Hey, Ryan. Thanks for calling. How long has he been here?"  
Ryan shrugged. "A couple of hours at least. Something's wrong with him, Jackie boy. He's been coming here almost every day at all hours of the night for a couple a weeks now and wearing himself down into nothing beating the punching bag." Jack sighed. "Thanks, Ryan. Maybe he'll be ready to talk now."

Jack paused in the doorway of the exercise room, watching his best friend attack the punching bag with a vengeance that he had never seen before. Bobby's raw knuckles told Jack that he had been at it for a while.  
Jack hesitated briefly before entering the room. "Hey, Crash."  
Bobby glanced over his shoulder. His eyes filled with fury. "What are you doing here?"  
"Ryan called." Jack kept his voice calm.  
He circled around to stand in front of Bobby. "What is going on with you, Bobby?"  
"I don't know what you're talking about." Bobby punched the bag again.  
"Come on, Bobby! You've been blowing up at everyone. You have the team walking on eggshells around you."  
"It's none of your business, Jack." Bobby swung at the bag, but Jack stepped in front of it. Bobby stopped his arm just in time to keep from punching Jack in the face.  
"Go ahead. Punch me." Jack ground out between clenched teeth. "You might as well."  
Bobby growled in frustration and turned around.  
"Are you gambling again?"  
Bobby spun back around. Hurt and anger flashed in his eyes. "No! How could you think that?"  
"What am I supposed to think, Bobby? You disappear for hours at a time. You don't answer your phone. Your temper is a ticking bomb. You show up at work looking like you haven't slept in a week."  
Jack realized that he was yelling and forced his voice to lower. "What's going on, Bobby? You don't need to carry it alone. Didn't you learn anything from Wes? Being a lone wolf doesn't work. I thought we agreed to never let that happen."  
Bobby sighed and ran a hand through his sweaty hair.  
Turning his back on Jack, he rested his forehead on the cold wall. "I had a sister." Bobby's voice was quiet. He glanced at Jack.  
The raw pain in his best friend's haunted eyes knocked the breath out of Jack like a punch to the stomach.  
"Jade." Bobby smiled slightly. "A chatty little thing. She was born the year after my Mom married Pop. From the time she could crawl she followed me everywhere. When I was twelve I started studying US history in school and developed a fascination with it. That was also the time I started to get interested in law-enforcement. The summer I was thirteen Pop and Mom brought us to D.C for vacation. They had saved money for a year. Jade was five years old."  
Bobby's body began to tremble. "One morning close to the end of our vacation I woke up early. Mom and Pop were still asleep and I knew that they were tired, but I wanted to go to the World War II memorial. I hadn't had the chance to see that one yet. The memorial was walking distance from the hotel we were staying in. So, I decided to slip out and go by myself."  
Bobby ran a hand through his hair again. "The only problem was that Jade woke up while I was getting ready. I knew that she wouldn't be able to be quiet and would wake our parents up and they needed their rest. So I took her with me."  
Jack felt a sick feeling growing in his stomach. He hoped Bobby's story wasn't going where he thought it was.  
"Jade wasn't interested in the memorial, but I was enthralled. I had become engrossed with reading one of the plaques when I noticed that Jade was being really quiet which wasn't normal for her."  
Bobby ran a hand over his face and Jack could hear tears in his voice when he spoke again. "I looked down and she was gone. I looked all over. Asked every person I saw where she was. But she was gone. And no one had seen a thing. I ran all the way back to the hotel and woke my parents. They called the police immediately. The FBI got involved. The lead agent was an Agent Quinton. He took me under his wings and involved me in the search as much as possible. He promised to bring my baby sister back to me. He took me to the Hoover building and gave me a tour. Then one night he came to our hotel and told us that the case was cold. It would not be actively worked anymore. He advised us to go back to Australia and to move on with our lives. I decided right then that one day I would be an FBI agent. And that I would do everything in my power to make sure that no other family went through what my family was going through. I determined that I wouldn't fail the way my hero had. Agent Quinton promised to keep searching when he could and to stay in touch. He kept that promise. We stayed in regular contact until he was killed in action three years ago."

Jack looked away from Bobby's trembling back and swallowed back the tears.  
"Bobby," his voice was thick with emotion. "I'm sorry, man. I had no idea, Crash. I can get D to reassign you. You don't have to deal with this case."  
Bobby turned around. His face pale and wet with tears and sweat. "No, Jack. I can handle it. I want to do this. Please."  
Jack hesitated. "Okay. But no more Mr. Lone Wolf."  
Bobby nodded. "Thanks, Sparky."


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter Twenty-One**

Bobby's steps slowed as he neared his apartment. Sitting in the hallway outside his apartment door was a small hunched figure. Bobby sighed heavily. He was completely exhausted and didn't think he had it in him to deal with one more crisis. All he wanted to do was take a hot shower and drag his aching body to bed. His hand on his gun, Bobby cautiously glanced around as he slowly approached his apartment door. His steps stopped when he heard gut-wrenching sobs coming from the figure. Suddenly recognition dawned and tears burned Bobby's own eyes.

"Hey there, Beautiful." Bobby spoke gently.  
Tara looked up in surprise. Her eyes red and swollen. Her cheeks streaked with tears.  
"Come on, let's get you inside." Bobby gently lifted Tara to her feet and led her into his apartment.  
Once inside Bobby led Tara over to his couch. He sat beside her and wrapped her in a hug. "I'm sorry I wasn't home, Tara. I didn't know we had a club meeting tonight."  
Tara shook her head. "It's not that." She hiccupped on a sob.  
Bobby tenderly brushed her hair off her wet cheeks and handed her his handkerchief. "Then what is it?"  
Tara looked away.  
"Tara." Bobby tried to turn Tara's head to look at him, but she shrank back from his touch.  
Frowning, Bobby dropped a quick kiss on top of her head and stood. "Take your time. I'll be back in a minute." Bobby headed into the kitchen and searched his cabinets. He finally found what he was looking for in the very back of a little used cabinet. A small box of herbal tea that was supposed to help you relax and sleep. Darcy had left it there.  
Searching another cabinet, Bobby found the kettle. He filled it with water and placed it on the stove before glancing back into living room.  
Tara was still sitting on the couch. Her knees pulled up to her chin and her head resting on her legs. Her entire body was shaking with sobs. Bobby closed his eyes against the heartbreaking sight. Turning around, he willed the water to hurry and boil. Finally the tea was ready and Bobby carried two cups into the living room. He set them on a small table and sat down beside Tara again.  
"Tara, I made you some tea."  
She didn't move.  
"Come on, Tara." Bobby ran a gentle hand over her bent head. "Please, talk to me. Or at least drink your tea."  
Several long moments passed before Tara wiped her face and lifted her head. Without looking at Bobby, she reached for a cup of steaming tea with a shaky hand.  
Bobby slowly sipped his own tea and watched Tara with concerned eyes. Finally he could take it no more. He set his cup down and carefully took Tara's out of her hands. "Okay, Beautiful. Talk to me. Please."  
"I've been working late." Tara spoke quietly, still refusing to meet Bobby's eyes.  
Bobby nodded. "I know."  
Tara shrugged one shoulder. "I don't like going home. It's too easy to think there. It hurts too much. I…I miss Stanley so much." She choked on a sob.  
"I know you do, Tara. I know. I'm so sorry, Beautiful."  
"I was thinking about our missing person cases. If the five cases are connected and it is a serial kidnapper then there would have to be other cases right?"  
Bobby narrowed his eyes in thought.  
"So, I requested some older case files. I wanted to see if I could find any other similar cases. And I found…"  
Tears began to stream down Tara's face again. "I'm so sorry, Bobby. I didn't know. I wasn't looking for it. I didn't know. I didn't mean to. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I…"  
"Hey, hey," Bobby tenderly broke into her rambling. "It's okay. Calm down."  
He shook his head slightly. "What are you talking about, Pretty Lady? What did you find?"  
Tara shook her head. "You're going to hate me. But I wasn't looking for it. I didn't know."  
"Tara. Look at me." Bobby grasped her chin in his hand and forced her to look at him. "I will never hate you. There is nothing that could make me hate you or even be angry at you. Tell me what you found."  
Tara looked away again. Her shoulders shook with sobs.  
"Jade." She spoke the one word so quietly that Bobby almost missed it.  
He set back against the couch as understanding filled him. "You found the case file about Jade." Bobby forced his voice to remain calm despite the pain that was tearing him apart.  
Tara nodded. "I'm sorry."  
Bobby was silent.  
Long minutes stretched by then the sound of Tara weeping filtered through his senses. Bobby sat up quickly. "Tara, come here. It's okay."  
He pulled her into his chest. "Sh, Tara. It's alright. No worries. I know you didn't set out to spy on me or invade my privacy. It's okay. Besides, I told Jack about Jade tonight."  
Tara clung to him and continued to cry. "I'm so sorry, Bobby."  
"Shh, sh." Bobby rubbed her back soothingly. "It's alright, it's alright. Shh."  
Finally Tara's tears subsided and she sat up.  
Bobby eyed her with concern. "Are you okay?"  
"Yeah. Are you?"  
Bobby looked away and reached for their cups. "Here. Finish your tea. It's supposed to help you relax and sleep." He gave her a half-smile. "I think it's what we both need tonight."  
Tara nodded and accepted her cup. Together they slowly sipped the hot drink. Their hearts aching; their minds tormented by memories of the past.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

The ringing of a strange phone penetrated the fogginess of Bobby's sleeping brain. Squinting one eye open, he groped for the annoying object.  
"Hello." He mumbled.  
Silence met his greeting.  
"Hello?"  
"Bobby? Why are you answering Tara's phone? Is she alright?" Images of Tara hurt or sick flashed through Jack's mind. Bobby glanced down at the weight on his chest and saw Tara's sleeping head.  
"Hang on a minute, Jack." Cradling the phone with his shoulder, Bobby carefully slid out from under Tara and eased her down onto the couch. He grabbed a blanket from the back of the couch and draped it over her before heading into the kitchen.  
A glance at the clock told him that it was 9:00 a.m. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes; Bobby returned his attention to the phone. "Tara's here with me. She's okay. She was sitting outside my apartment when I came home last night."  
He hesitated. "Jack, she found Jade's file. We talked and she fell asleep. She's still sleeping."  
"Good. I don't think she's slept much lately. You either, for that matter. Why don't the two of you go ahead and take the rest of the day off?"  
"I don't know, Jack. I didn't mean to oversleep. I actually planned on coming in early today."  
"Crash, you can't keep doing this. No more lone wolf, remember?" Jack sighed. "I talked to D, Bobby."  
"Jack…"  
"Bobby, I had to." Jack broke in. "As both a friend and a supervisor he's not happy right now. But he agreed to let us reopen Jade's case as part of our cold case investigation. If you want us to."  
Bobby hesitated. Blinking his eyes against the tears. "Jack, do you think…" he paused and swallowed hard, closing his eyes against the pain in his heart. "Do you think she's still alive?"  
Jack rubbed his forehead. "I don't know, Bobby." He said quietly. "We both know the statistics. But even in recent years there have been people found who were given up for dead a long time ago. I guess anything is possible."  
Jack paused. "It's your call."  
Bobby was silent for a moment. When he spoke his voice was filled with the pain of a lifelong heartbreak. "I want to open the case. I have to know, Jack. I have to know what happened to my sister."

Jack closed his phone and leaned against the wall with his eyes closed. He dreaded having to tell the rest of his team about Jade. Normally he would have been confident that his team could handle the case, but they were all still reeling from Stanley's death. Jack wasn't sure how much more heartache they could bear. _Give us strength, Lord._ He prayed silently. Jack entered the bullpen, rubbing the back of his neck. He smiled slightly when he saw Joseph perched on the edge of Lucy's desk. The man was persistent. But Lucy seemed to be avoiding his attention. The thought brought a frown to Jack's face. With everything else that was going on neither he nor Sue had had the opportunity to investigate what was bothering their lovely rotor. Jack sighed and felt his shoulders slump as yet another burden fell on them.

"Luce, where are Myles and Sue?"  
"Upstairs in the conference room. Did you find Tara?"  
"Yeah, she's okay. She's resting now." He moved toward Tara's desk. Opening the top drawer, he took out a key and unlocked the bottom drawer. He picked up a file and glanced in it then shut and locked the drawer. "Lucy, come upstairs with me. I need to talk to the team."  
Joseph stood. "What do you need from my guys today, Jack?"  
Jack blew out a breath. "I don't know really. We keep running into dead-ends. Send a couple of them over to Metro PD and try to hurry them along in putting together the lists of all personnel who worked any of our five kidnapping cases. I still think that is the best place for us to start looking for links."  
Joseph nodded. "I hate to say it, but I think you're right. We'll go light a fire under them." Joseph glanced at Lucy and hesitated briefly before hurrying out of the bullpen.

Jack watched Joseph go then turned to Lucy. "Hey, Lucy?"  
"Yeah?"  
"How are you doing?"  
Lucy gave him a confused look. "What do you mean?"  
Jack perched on the edge of Tara's desk, being careful not to knock over her assortment of fluffy pens. He shrugged. "Things have been crazy lately. You and I haven't had much time to chat. And I've been keeping Sue busy too. I just wanted to know how you're doing. How you're handling things."  
Lucy looked down at the floor. "I'm doing fine."  
Jack nodded and glanced toward the door that Joseph had disappeared through. "I got a question for you."  
"Okay."  
"What do you think of Joseph?" He nodded toward the doorway.  
Lucy shrugged. "I don't know. I haven't thought about it. Why? Do you have concerns about him?"  
"No." Jack shook his head. "I think he's a pretty great guy. And so does everyone else." Jack paused and studied Lucy through narrowed eyes.  
He pursed his lips and shrugged one shoulder. "I guess I'm just wondering why you seem to avoid him at all costs." To Jack's dismay Lucy's eyes filled with tears.  
"Hey, Luce. What is it? What's wrong? If there is something about Joseph that bothers you, I'll tell him to back off. You've always been like a sister to me and with Sue and I getting married that's going to be even truer. I'm not going to let someone make you feel uncomfortable or hurt you. You can always come to me. You know that, right?"  
Lucy tried to stop the tears. "I know, Jackson. It's not that."  
"Then what is it?" Jack's voice was filled with tenderness.  
Lucy shrugged. "I just don't want to be hurt again. It wouldn't work out. I'm just not good enough for a good guy."  
Jack frowned, trying to make sense of Lucy's words. Suddenly it dawned on him. He realized that other than the two dates with her old college boyfriend, Lucy had not dated anyone after Myles cheated on her.  
"Oh, Lucy." His heart broke for her.  
"Listen to me." Jack dipped his head until he caught Lucy's eyes with his. His deep brown eyes shone with sincerity and compassion. "You are an incredibly beautiful lady. Inside and out. You have a lovely smile. You're compassionate. A good friend. Funny. Loyal. You deserve the very best. And any man would be very blessed to be with you. I don't know what the future holds for you. But I do know that God has a plan for your life and it is going to be beautiful. Don't let fear hold you back and keep you from that plan, Luce. Please."  
Lucy's tears were flowing freely now. Jack eased off the desk. "Come here." He pulled her into a friendly embrace.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter Twenty-Three**

Bobby closed his phone and started the coffee. While it was brewing he went back into the living room and gazed down at the sleeping Tara. A soft smile lifted the corners of his lips. She was beautiful. His eyes fell on her engagement ring and his heart ached at all she and Stanley had lost.  
"I'm sorry, Stan. I'll make sure she's taken care of." Bobby wondered why it could not have been him who was killed instead of Stanley. After all, the woman he loved did not want him. It would have been better for him to die than for Stanley to be taken from Tara.

Bobby's brows drew together in a concerned frown when Tara began stirring in her sleep. Her peaceful expression had changed and it was obvious that her dreams were not good. Without warning her eyes flew open and she sat up.  
"Whoa, easy there." Bobby's hand shot out to stop her panicked movements. "It's alright, Tara. You're safe."  
"Bobby?"  
"Yeah, it's me. You're okay." He held her arm until he felt her relax.  
Tara looked around her. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep."  
"No worries. I guess that tea really does work."  
"Yeah, I guess. Where did you get it? I may need to buy myself some."  
"I don't know." Bobby shrugged. "Darcy bought it for me. She drank it when she had trouble sleeping and insisted that it would help me relax during stressful cases. I had never drunk it before last night. I guess I should have listened to her." Bobby's voice trailed off and he looked away as the pain of missing Darcy overwhelmed him.  
"I'm sorry, Bobby." Tara spoke softly. Her heart hurting for him. She leaned back into the couch cushions and studied his face. At least he looked a little more rested than he had recently.  
Suddenly her eyes widened and she sat up straighter. "What time is it?"  
"After nine."  
"What!? We need to get to work." She started to stand, but Bobby stopped her with a hand on her arm.  
"Relax. I've already spoken with Jack. We can take our time. Actually, he advised that we both take the day off, but I'll probably go in a little while."  
Tara ran a hand over her sleep-tousled hair, trying to smooth it back into place. "I've never overslept like that before." "Yeah, well," Bobby shrugged. "I guess we both needed it." He glanced toward the kitchen. "I made coffee. I'll go get you a cup."

Tara watched him go. Her mind returning to the dream that had awakened her. For the first time since Stanley's death her sleep had not been haunted by images of him.  
Instead, her mind had replayed Bobby's story of his sister's disappearance over and over again. His words rang in her mind. "_The lead agent was an Agent Quinton. He was my hero. He promised to bring my baby sister home and I believed every word he said. Even though he failed he was my inspiration for joining the FBI_." Agent Quinton. Agent Quinton. The name was so familiar.  
Leaning forward, Tara covered her face with her hands, hoping that she was wrong.

Pastor Logan Emerson leaned back in his desk chair and studied the young couple in front of him. He loved every member of his church, but these two had wormed their way into an extra special place in his heart within a very short time. And it wasn't just him. Every female in the church from the newest baby, three-month old Emma, to the oldest member, 90-year old Gladys, had fallen victim to Jack's dark chocolate eyes. The young boys thought that having an FBI agent in the church was the coolest thing in the world. And the entire congregation had been touched by Sue's compassionate heart. Logan could only hope that they would understand what he had to say.

"Jack, Sue, the two of you have an amazing connection. In all my years of pastoring I'm not sure I have ever met another couple with the bond that the two of you have. However, I am going to have to advise against a quick wedding for a few different reasons.  
First of all, it is my policy to not perform any wedding without first having gone through a series of counseling sessions with the couple. Now, because I already know the two of you there are some things that I normally cover that we can skip. That will shorten the process. But I'm afraid we would not be able to get it done within a week or even two weeks.  
Secondly, Jack you have only recently turned your life back over to God. I cannot begin to tell you how proud I am of you for the progress you are making in your spiritual life. I'm not sure I have ever seen anyone grow as quickly as you. The fact that you had a firm foundation when you were younger is really helping you. But I still think it would be wise if you took a little more time to concentrate on your spiritual growth before you become the leader of a home."  
Pastor Emerson paused and studied their faces. Jack and Sue were listening and seemed open to what he was saying. "There is one more reason that I think you should wait a bit longer than you want. It's what you told me about your friends."  
Jack and Sue exchanged a puzzled look.  
The pastor rubbed a hand over his face and leaned forward. "I know that in your line of work there is a lot that you cannot share with me. I will never ask you to cross those boundaries. But you said that one of the reasons you wanted to marry so quickly was to give your friends and coworkers a reason to celebrate. A happy occasion to give them a break from the heartache they are enduring. I greatly admire you for considering your friends and wanting to help them. I'm just not sure that a wedding is the best way to do that. Actually, I'm afraid that it might cause more harm than good."  
"What do you mean?" Jack asked.  
"Well, you mentioned that a close friend just lost her fiancé unexpectedly. Attending a wedding now while her pain is so fresh and raw could actually hurt her _more_ instead of giving her a reason to rejoice. And every marriage, no matter how good the connection between the couple, requires a great deal of work and energy. If you marry immediately either you will not have the time and energy that your friends need you to devote to them right now, or you will devote yourself to your friends and will not have the energy left over to get your marriage off to a solid start."  
Jack glanced at Sue. As much as he wished that he could marry her tonight, the pastor's words made sense. "How long do you think we should wait?"  
Pastor Emerson thought for a moment. "I think we could finish the counseling sessions in six weeks."  
Jack turned to Sue and began to sign. The pastor smiled as he watched their hands fly.  
Finally, Jack turned back to him. "Thank you for your help, Pastor. You pointed out some things that we hadn't thought about. I think you're right. We would like to start the counseling sessions and prepare for a wedding in around six weeks. Besides," Jack shrugged and winked at Sue. "In six weeks things should have slowed down with the case we're working on and we'll be able to take time off for a honeymoon."  
"Jack!"  
Logan Emerson chuckled at Sue's blushing face. "You're right, Jack. That is definitely worth waiting for."

Demetrius Gans stood in the doorway of the conference room and watched the agents at work. It was past time to go home, but they showed no signs of stopping. They were engrossed in reading files, making phone calls, and running old evidence through new lab tests, making up for the time they had lost with Bobby and Tara's late arrival and Jack and Sue's lunch meeting. With Jade Manning's picture staring down at them from another white board, they were attacking the cold cases with the same focused intensity they used when stopping a terrorist attack. It had become personal. They were now searching for one of their own. D smiled to himself as he headed down the hall. His team was back.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter Twenty-Four**

"Jack." Tara called to him as he stepped onto the elevator.  
Jack stepped back and turned to her with a smile. His smile disappeared when he saw the distressed look on her face. "What's up, Tara?" Jack placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.  
"I found something. I was hoping I was wrong, but I don't think that I am. I didn't want to say anything in front of the others yet. Maybe you'll see something I didn't. I'm still hoping that I'm wrong somehow."  
"Tara." Jack gently broke into her rambling and squeezed her shoulder. "Show me what you have."  
Tara sighed. "When Bobby told you about Jade did he mention the agent who took an interest in him?"  
"Yeah. I think his name was Quinton. Bobby spoke very highly of him. Even though he wasn't able to solve the case, he was still Bobby's inspiration for joining the bureau. I think Bobby said he was killed in action."  
Tara nodded. "Three years ago. Jack, Agent Ryan Quinton was also involved in our five cold cases. He's the connection." Jack's eyebrows drew together as he frowned. "Are you sure?"  
Tara nodded. "I wished I wasn't, but I am. Jack, what is this going to do to Bobby?"  
Jack rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't know." He shrugged one shoulder. "We have to look into it, but maybe Quinton isn't guilty."  
He smiled softly. "Don't worry, Tara. Bobby will be okay." Jack tried to sound convincing, but the look on Tara's face told him that he hadn't succeeded. He sighed and slid an arm around her shoulders, pulling her into a hug. "Come on. We better go tell the team."

"Where's Sue?" Jack asked as he entered the conference room with an armload of pizza boxes.  
"She went to walk Levi." Lucy answered absently.  
Jack nodded and cleared a space for the boxes. Since learning of the possible involvement of Bobby's mentor in the kidnapping cases, Jack had given up on trying to get his team to go home. Knowing that it would be useless to suggest that they call it a night, he had instead gone and purchased dinner. If they were going to continue working into the night they would need food.  
"Hudson, you just became my hero." Joseph Davis never lifted his eyes from the report he was reading as he reached into the first pizza box and grabbed a slice too hungry to care what it was.  
Jack was surprised to see him. "You don't have to keep working tonight, Joseph. Go home. Get some sleep."  
"As long as one of our own is out there," Joseph gestured toward Jade's picture with his pizza. "I'm staying. Thanks for the food."  
Jack looked toward Lucy and saw that she had observed the exchange with a thoughtful look on her face.  
"Better eat while it's hot, Crash." Jack nudged the pizza boxes slightly.  
"No thanks, mate. Not hungry." Bobby's voice lacked its usual energy and emotion.  
Jack, Myles, Tara, and Lucy shared concerned looks. Joseph glanced up. The expressions on the faces of the other members of Hudson's team told him that this was not normal behavior for Agent Manning.

Jack was reaching for his first slice of pizza when his phone vibrated. He glanced at the txt message. _"I need you. Can you come to the park?"_  
Warmth filled his heart as he rapidly tapped out a response. _"On my way, sweetheart."_  
Jack stood. "Save Sue and me some pizza." He strode quickly toward the door.  
Pausing by Lucy Jack leaned down and whispered in her ear. "Try to get him to eat." He nodded toward Bobby.  
Lucy glanced at Bobby's brooding face. "Why do I always get the hard assignments?" She whispered back.  
Jack grinned at her. "I have faith in you." He winked and was gone.  
Lucy rolled her eyes. She studied her coworker for a moment then moved to the pizza boxes and selected a slice for herself. She took a bite and chewed it slowly. Her stomach growled in response. She hadn't realized how hungry she was until now.  
Lucy took another bite before moving to sit next to Bobby, hoping that the aroma would awaken his hunger senses. "Bobby," Lucy spoke gently, waiting for him to look at her. "You really do need to eat. Is there anything you would like besides pizza? You can't work well on an empty stomach and we definitely do not want you passing out."  
"I said I'm not hungry!" Bobby's voice was harsher than Lucy had ever heard it when directed at her. She cringed slightly. Bobby's eyes softened. "Aw, Luce. I'm sorry."  
He slid an arm around her slender shoulders and tugged her to him in a one-armed hug. "Thank you for trying to help, but I really don't want anything. Forgive me for snapping?"  
Lucy nodded against his shoulder. Bobby squeezed her gently then turned back to the report he was reading. Lucy finished her pizza in silence.  
Heading back to the boxes for a second slice she racked her brain for a way to get Bobby to eat short of the guys holding him down while she and Tara forced food into his mouth.  
_Tara._ Lucy glanced over at her friend and frowned when she saw how pale she was. Lucy suddenly realized that she had not seen Tara eat anything all day. She quickly grabbed an extra slice of pizza, placed it on a paper plate, and carried it over to Tara.  
"Tara." Lucy knelt next to her. "I brought you some pizza."  
Tara looked up and opened her mouth.  
Lucy held up a hand before she could speak. "I know, I know. You're not hungry. Please, Tara, you need to eat. Having Bobby pass out from low-blood sugar is going to be bad enough."  
"Bobby?" Tara glanced at him worriedly.  
Lucy's shoulders slumped. "Yeah. He hasn't eaten anything all day either. I'm under orders from Jack to get him to eat, but he nearly bit my head off." Lucy smirked. "And I don't think that's the kind of eating Jack had in mind."  
Tara hesitated then took the plate from Lucy and stood. "Thanks, Luce."

A soft hand on his arm drew Bobby out of his dark thoughts. He looked up to see Tara standing next to him. A tired smile crossed his features. "Hey," he whispered.  
"Hey," she whispered back. Tara held out a plate with three slices of pizza piled on it. "We have a deal. Remember? I'll eat if you eat."  
Bobby studied her pale face. Tenderness filled his green eyes. "Okay, Beautiful." He took the plate from her outstretched hand. "Let's eat."

Satisfied with her work Lucy leaned back in her chair and let the tiredness wash over her briefly. She startled when a cup of coffee appeared in front of her.  
"Well done, Lucy."  
She glanced up and smiled. "Thanks, Myles."  
Across the room Joseph shook his head slightly. No wonder Hudson's team was the best in the bureau; they really were a family.


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter Twenty-Five**

Jack found Sue sitting on a park bench where they had shared countless hours of conversation. He frowned when he saw the tears glistening in her eyes. Bending down he picked up a worn tennis ball and tossed it for Levi.  
"YOU OK?" he signed as he slowly eased himself down on the bench beside her. Jack took her hand in his and gently stroked the back of it with his thumb. "What's wrong, sweetheart?"  
Sue rolled her lips together. "Do you remember when Tara and I went undercover in Mind Profit?"  
Jack ran his knuckles down her cheek. "How could I forget? I hated every second of it."  
Sue shuddered slightly. "Malcolm was going to sale me into slavery."  
Jack clenched his jaw.  
"He said, he said that…" Sue paused, trying to compose herself.  
Jack began rubbing her hand again.  
"He said that I probably didn't know what a great market there is for slaves. That there are places in the world where men would pay a great deal for someone like me."  
Jack lifted her hand to his mouth and pressed a kiss on it, drawing her attention to his lips. "Sue," he reached out and ran a hand down her hair. "Where is this coming from? Why are you thinking about this now, honey?"  
Sue looked up at him. Jack hated the distress in her eyes.  
"Jack, what if it's not really a serial kidnapper?"  
He gave her a puzzled look. "What do you mean?"  
"Most serial criminals are acting out a fantasy or reliving an event in their life. That's why they tend to stick to one type of victim. But that doesn't fit our cases. Think about all of our victims, except for Jade. The two different victim profiles."  
Jack thought of the five photos on the whiteboards in the conference room. A wave of nausea washed over him as realization dawned. He closed his eyes.  
Drawing in a deep breath, Jack looked at Sue. "You think it's a slavery ring."  
Tears filled her eyes again as she nodded.  
Jack leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "It'll be okay," he whispered. "Let's go talk to the team."

The sun was just beginning to pink the sky above Washington D.C. when the team, plus Joseph, gathered back in the conference room after being forced by D to go home for a few hours. They had spent most of the night gathering every shred of information they could about Special Agent Ryan Quinton. For Bobby's sake, everyone was hoping that something would point to the man's innocence, but so far the evidence was stacked overwhelmingly against him.

"Okay. What we got?" Jack asked, taking a sip of his coffee.  
"Special Agent Ryan Quinton showed great promise while at Quantico and finished near the top of his class." Myles began. "However, shortly into his career he became a bit of a lone wolf and began using some rather unconventional methods. Enough so that more than one supervisor made a note of concern in his file. But he was a good enough agent that no one seemed willing to take it any farther than that."  
Myles glanced at Jack. "Very much reminiscent of our old friend Joe Wolf." He added cautiously.

"Quinton was apparently not very good with money." Tara spoke up. "At the time of his death he had several maxed-out credit cards. I have not yet been able to trace where all the money was going."

Joseph took over. "He was stationed in D.C throughout his career with the exception of a handful of temporary assignments ranging in duration from three months to one year. He was partnered with Alan Caldwell who is now the Special Agent in Charge in Norfolk, VA."  
Joseph paused and looked up briefly from his notes. His dark eyes scanned the faces around him lingering on Bobby.  
"The Manning case was the first case Quinton worked as the lead agent." Joseph continued quietly. "From the time of Jade's disappearance he was involved in eight cases matching our MO and victim profiles. Quinton was killed in a drive-by shooting three years ago while escorting a federal witness. We have not found any new cases matching the ones we are looking at since the time of his death."

Silence filled the conference room as Lucy moved to the whiteboard to write down the details of the new victims. Every eye fell on Bobby who had not spoken all morning. Jack wondered how much heartbreak his best friend would be forced to endure. How much could he take?  
The abandonment of his father, the loss of his sister, the rejection of Darcy, and now the knowledge that his childhood hero and longtime friend was possibly a rogue agent who had played a part in Jade's disappearance. It was too much pain for one lifetime.


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter Twenty-Six**

The three-hour drive to Norfolk passed mostly in silence. Each of the travelers lost in their own thoughts. The mind of the driver was in D.C with the blonde beauty he had left behind. The second occupant of the car was lost in his own dark thoughts, wondering how he could be such a bad judge of character.

"Special Agents Hudson and Manning." Jack flashed his badge at the security guard near the entrance of the FBI Norfolk office. "We're here to see Special Agent in Charge Alan Caldwell."  
Moments later, much to the displeasure of an overprotective secretary, Jack and Bobby were sitting in the SAIC's office. "So, you're from the D.C office? I spent a great deal of time there." The older agent glanced at Bobby and his brow furrowed. "There's something about you that is familiar. What did you say your name is?"  
"Manning."  
Recognition dawned on the other man's face and he leaned back in his chair. "Little Bobby." He smiled. "You're not so little anymore."  
"I hit a growth spurt when I was fifteen." Bobby's voice was cold.  
Alan nodded. "I had wondered if you were still stationed in D.C."  
He looked down at his desk. "Quinton was very proud of you. He tried to claim you as an adopted son. I told him he wasn't old enough to be your father, but…"  
Alan shrugged and raised his head. His blue eyes were damp. "He was very proud of you."  
Jack felt Bobby tense next to him and gave him a cautioning glance.  
"Agent Caldwell…" Jack began.  
Alan held up a hand. "Please, call me Alan."  
Jack gave a small, resigned nod. "Alan. Our unit has recently been looking at some cold cases. The name of your former partner, the late Special Agent Ryan Quinton, came to our attention during the investigation. We were hoping that you could help us out with a few things."  
The older man's shoulders slumped as he let out a heavy sigh. He stared at his desk. "I've been waiting for this day. Wondered how long it would take before someone uncovered something. I guess I should have known what you wanted when you said you were from D.C."  
Bobby's hand clenched into a fist. "You knew he was involved in the kidnappings and you didn't say anything?" His voice shook with rage and pain.  
Alan Caldwell's head snapped up in surprise. "Kidnappings? What kidnappings?"  
Jack leaned forward in his chair. "Why don't you just tell us more about your partner and what you were afraid of someone finding?"  
Alan Caldwell placed his elbows on his desk and covered his face with his hands. Jack shared a glance with Bobby. The man in front of them was the picture of guilt.  
"I met Ryan at Quantico." The agent mumbled behind his hands before letting them slide down his face.  
"If it wasn't for him, I probably wouldn't have passed the training. Everything we did came naturally to him. By the time we finished our training he had already developed a reputation as one of the best. He was assigned to D.C, one of the most coveted assignments."  
Alan shrugged. "Because of his smooth talking and negotiation skills I got assigned as his partner."  
The agent reached for the coffee cup on his desk with trembling hands. "There was only one chink in Quinton's armor. He was an addicted gambler."  
Jack stiffened in his chair and slid a glance at Bobby. His friend's face had grown paler.  
"He thought he had it under control and so did I. But six months after we became FBI agents Ryan's wife and two children, an adorable five-year old girl and one-year old boy, were killed by a drunk driver. Quinton fell apart. It wasn't long before he started gambling again. Somehow he was able to hide it from our superiors and coworkers. He even hid it from me. I had no idea for a long time. A year later he was given his first case as the lead agent."  
Caldwell paused and glanced at Bobby. "The Manning kidnapping. It was the first time since the death of his family that I saw Quinton take a real interest in anything. I thought that his passion for solving the case and his interest in Bobby would be the things to pull him back from the edge. And in a way, I was right. After that case he still kept himself shut off from everyone, but he was able to work. And while some of his methods were a little unconventional he did solve many cases and kept his reputation in the bureau."  
"What about the gambling?" Jack asked in a tight voice.  
Alan's shoulders slumped further. "The gambling continued. I tried to help him. I went with him to Gamblers' Anonymous meetings. I gave him loans, bought him groceries, and put gas in his car. I even gave him credit cards issued in my name to help him stay afloat. I don't know how anyone else didn't notice, but he was a good agent so everyone kind of turned a blind eye to his methods. Maybe that's why no one noticed. They didn't want to look closely enough to see anything."  
Jack glanced at Bobby to see how he was holding up. Not good.  
"Do you remember any kidnapping cases your partner worked?"  
Alan's brow furrowed at Jack's question. "Well, there was the Manning case. Our specialty was drug and gang-related cases. Quinton excelled at going undercover. And I was his contact person. I concentrated on the surveillance, backup, and paperwork involved in those cases. But after the Manning case I do remember him occasionally requesting to be brought in for kidnapping cases. But that was probably only a handful of times throughout his career."  
Alan shrugged. "I would say, he probably worked a dozen or less kidnapping cases. I usually wasn't involved in those."  
Jack leaned forward his dark eyes boring into the blue eyes of Alan Caldwell. "Did you ever find his interest in or his actions during those cases suspicious in any way?"  
"No. I have always assumed that his interest in various kidnapping cases was because of his interest in Bobby and the Manning case."  
"Did you ever suspect Agent Ryan Quinton of illegal activities other than his gambling?"  
The older agent's shoulders slumped further and he hung his head. A defeated man. "There were times when he didn't turn in all of the money from drug busts. And I looked the other way."

The ride home was almost as quiet as the drive to Norfolk.  
Jack glanced over at Bobby concern for his best friend showing in his dark eyes. "What are you thinking, Crash?"  
Bobby remained silent.  
"Bobby." Jack's tone took on a warning edge. "Don't renege on your promise. No lone wolf. Tell me what's going through that ugly head of yours."  
"I'm thinking it's time I leave the bureau."  
Jack gripped the steering wheel in frustration. "That has _got_ to be the stupidest thing I have ever heard come out of your mouth."  
Bobby ran a hand through his hair. "That could be us, Jack."  
"What could be us?"  
"Caldwell and Quinton. Ten years from now you could be facing losing your reputation, your job, everything you've worked your whole life for just because you chose to protect me. I can't take that risk."  
Jack glanced in the rearview mirror and jerked the steering wheel pulling the car off the side of the road. He turned off the engine and let his head fall back against the headrest, letting out a breath of exasperation.  
Finally Jack turned in his seat to face Bobby. "Okay, Bobby, I'm only going to say this once so you better listen up. You and I could never end up like Caldwell and Quinton because you are _nothing_ like Quinton."  
"He was a gambler, Jack." Bobby covered his eyes with his hand. "And I…"  
"I know." Jack conceded. "But let me ask you this. How long were you clean before the Merino case?"  
"Over five years." Bobby answered quietly.  
"Have you gambled even once since that case?"  
"No."  
A small smile crossed Jack's face. "Don't you see, Crash? You're nothing like Ryan Quinton."  
"I fell once, Jack. I could fall again."  
"Yes, you could." Jack nodded. "But if you do you'll just get back up again. That's the difference between you and Quinton. He stayed down."  
Jack turned his gaze outside the window. "Besides, you don't have to fight it alone. You have the whole team behind you and God is waiting to help you too. If you'll turn your life over to Him, He'll give you the strength to overcome any temptation."  
"I don't need a sermon, Jack."  
Jack sighed and turned back to face Bobby. "You remember what I told you after the Merino case? That unlike banks I think that loans should be made based on a man's character and that I was comfortable with what I saw?"  
Bobby nodded.  
"Well, that's even truer today."  
Bobby lifted his head and met Jack's eyes. "Thanks, Spark."  
"Anytime, Crash."


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter Twenty-Seven**

When Jack and Bobby entered the conference room it was a buzz of activity.  
"What happened?" Jack raised his voice to be heard over the din.  
Several voices began speaking at once.  
Jack raised his hands. "Children! One at a time, please."  
Joseph grinned and made a sweeping bow to Myles. "After you, sir."  
Myles stood and smoothed his dress shirt with his hand. "Why thank you kindly."  
Jack raised his eyebrows at the strange behavior and looked at Bobby who rolled his eyes and leaned against the wall, waiting for the explanation.  
"While you two wanderlust boys were out gallivanting we…" Myles thumped himself on the chest and gestured at the others who were clearly enjoying the show. "have been hard at work reviewing our new old cases and re-interviewing anyone we could track down."  
Myles turned to Joseph. "Would you care to continue?"  
"Oh, yes." Joseph jumped up from his perch next to Lucy and brandished a paper in the air. "I present to you, O Revered Team 1 Leader, Tory Sullivan. She disappeared four years ago when she was thirteen. The disappearance matches the MO of our other cases and as you can see she fits one of our victim profiles."  
Joseph pointed to a picture of a small teenage girl with long, blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes. "However, there was one slight difference."  
Joseph paused and Jack glanced around at the anticipation and barely concealed smiles on the faces of his team and the other agents. Obviously, there had been a big break in the case while he and Bobby were gone.  
"Which was?" Jack quirked an eyebrow.  
"An eyewitness!" A new agent on Joseph's team spoke up excitedly then ducked his head shyly when all heads turned in his direction. "Sorry," he mumbled.  
Joseph smirked. "No problem, rookie."  
Jack turned to his team for confirmation. "So who was this eyewitness and what did they have to say?"  
Sue smiled shyly at him and Jack was momentarily distracted by her beauty. It had been a long day without her gentle presence. He had missed her greatly.  
Myles cleared his throat, snapping Jack out of his thoughts. He blushed and refocused on what Sue was saying.  
"Jennifer Elwood, who was twenty-six at the time, was standing near the window of her apartment trying to get her baby to sleep. She saw Tory walking home from school. Jennifer said that a car with tinted windows pulled up and a man got out. He showed Tory an I.D. and talked to her for a minute. Then Tory got in the car with him and they drove away. Jennifer said that she was going to call Tory's parents to make sure that everything was okay, but her own mom called right then. She forgot about the incident until later that night when she learned that Tory was missing."  
"Was it Quinton?" Bobby's voice was pained.  
Tara shook her head and Jack directed Sue's attention to her. "We showed her pictures of Ryan Quinton and Alan Caldwell. As well as, other agents and officers who worked the Sullivan case. She didn't recognize any of them. She was, however, able to work with a sketch artist and give us a sketch. I've aged it and am running it through the database. I haven't gotten any matches yet."  
Jack let his dark eyes scan the room. "Great work, guys. We need to get Alan Caldwell here to see if he can identify the man in the sketch. And we need to start reviewing every surveillance video and picture we can get from the cases Quinton worked. Maybe we can get an I.D. that way."  
Jack glanced at his watch. "And we need to eat. Joseph, can two of your men go to Norfolk and escort Caldwell here?" "Sure."  
"Good. The rest of us will take a break. Get some dinner. Stretch your legs. And go home and pack a bag. We have a long night ahead of us. We'll meet back here in a few hours to start reviewing Quinton's cases."


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter Twenty-Eight**

"Could I persuade you to have dinner with me?" Joseph asked quietly.  
Lucy looked up and quickly glanced around the conference room. Everyone else was already gone. _Thanks a lot, guys._ Her mind grumbled. "I, uh, I better not."  
Joseph tilted his head. "Come on, everyone else is gone. There's no sense in us eating alone."  
"I can't, Joseph. Not right now. Maybe after this case is over."  
"Fine." Joseph rapped the table with his knuckles and turned to walk away.  
As he neared the door the tall agent turned back around. "Tell me, Miss Dotson," Pain showed in his black eyes. "What have I done to cause you to dislike me so much?"  
Lucy rolled her lips together to stem the tears. "I don't dislike you, Joseph. I'm just not ready."  
"Ready for what?" He lifted his shoulders and let them fall back down. "I just want to share a meal with you and enjoy your company for a short time before we have to dive back into this case."  
Joseph sighed and shook his head. "See ya later, Lucy."  
He disappeared out the door. Lucy laid her head down on the table and let the tears fall down her cheeks.

"Myles?" Anne reached across the table and touched his hand. "Are you alright?"  
He looked up and gave her a slight smile. "I don't really know."  
"Is it the case you're working on?" Anne held up her hand before he could speak. "I know, you can't tell me without having to kill me. I don't want details."  
She took a sip of her ice water. "But is that what's bothering you?"  
"Partly."  
"What's the other part?"  
Myles hesitated, searching his mind for the right words. To his dismay he couldn't find any.  
"What do you think of God?" He finally blurted out.  
Anne raised an eyebrow. "God?" She leaned back in her chair. "Wow. That was not what I was expecting." She shrugged. "I can't say I've ever given the subject any thought. Why?"  
Myles sighed. "Apparently Stanley," he paused and swallowed back tears at the mention of his friend. "had some sort of conversion experience in Afghanistan before his kidnapping. He called it being born-again." Myles' voice showed his confusion. "He left me a Bible with some verses marked and a book about the evidences for Jesus Christ."  
Myles shook his head. "It's actually pretty intriguing."  
Anne studied the face of her older brother. She was so grateful for the chance to get to know this man. "I'm afraid I can't help you, Myles. But when you find your answers, I'd like to hear them."

Bobby and Tara sat across from each other at the small table in his kitchen, picking at their Chinese take-out. Neither of them had an appetite.  
"I'm sorry, Bobby." Tara spoke quietly.  
He looked up from playing with his fried rice and frowned. "For what?"  
"About Quinton."  
Bobby looked away. "Not your fault, Beautiful."  
"How are you really doing?"  
"I'm fine." Bobby's tone was harsher than he intended.  
Tara sighed.  
He looked back at her and his heart smote him at her crestfallen expression. He hadn't meant to snap. "Ah, Tara. I'm sorry." Bobby reached across the table and took her small hand into his large one. His thumb rubbed circles on the back of her hand.  
"How are you holding up? We've been so busy at work that we haven't had much time to talk. I know it may seem like the rest of us have forgotten Stanley, but we haven't. We never will."  
"I know. The busyness has been good. Keeps me from thinking too much. But…" Tara's voice trailed off and she shrugged. "I'm doing fine."  
"No, Tara. What were you going to say? But what?"  
She was silent.  
"Tara. Come on."  
She raised her head to look at him. Her hazel eyes filled with tears and pain. "It hurts, Bobby."  
The tears broke free and slid down her face plopping onto Bobby's table. "I miss Stanley with every breath I take. But then I forget. And it doesn't hurt. It's just like he's on assignment somewhere. But then it all comes back and hurts even more. And I feel like a horrible person for forgetting." Tara's tears were falling faster now and her body began to jerk with the force of the sobs.  
Bobby's own eyes burned with tears. "Ah, Tara. Come here." He tugged her hand gently until she stood and circled the table. Bobby scooted his chair back and pulled Tara down to sit on his lap. She buried her face against his shoulder as the sobs tore out of her.  
"Shh," Bobby wrapped his arms around her shaking body and gently rubbed her back. "It's going to be okay," he whispered. "Shh," Bobby closed his eyes, his heart breaking at the pain she was in.  
When Tara's tears subsided Bobby gently nudged her head up until she was looking at him. He smiled tenderly and brushed the tears from her cheeks. "You're not a horrible person, Beautiful." He shook his head. "Far from it. Tara, denial is part of the grieving process. And since you and Stanley mostly had a long-distance relationship it might be even harder for everything to sink in. There may always be times when it doesn't seem like he's really gone. That's okay and perfectly normal."  
"It is?" Tara's voice trembled.  
Bobby nodded. He placed a feather-light kiss on her forehead and drew her against him again. "It's going to be okay, Tara."

"I missed you so much today." Jack said as he and Sue sat on the secluded park bench while Levi raced around enjoying his freedom.  
"I missed you too." Sue leaned back just enough to read Jack's lips. "How's Bobby doing?"  
Jack sighed and shook his head. "Not good."  
Sue placed a soft hand on the side of his face. "I'm sorry."  
Jack gave her a gentle smile and leaned forward for a kiss. "I love you," he whispered when he pulled back breathless.  
Sue grinned. "I love you more."  
Jack smirked at her. "Not possible." He leaned forward for another kiss. The kiss was broken when Sue burst into laughter. Jack's hands had snuck to her sides and were tickling her.  
"Jack, stop! Please!" Sue choked out through her laughter, squirming and nearly falling off the bench before Jack had mercy on her. Struggling to catch her breath, she slapped him on the arm. "That was mean."  
"You deserved it. Besides," Jack shrugged. "I wanted to hear you laugh."  
Sue rolled her eyes. "Well, you could have told a joke or something. You didn't have to torture me."  
Jack pursed his lips in thought. "Nah. Torture is much better."

Much too soon Sue shifted in Jack's arms and tilted her head to see his mouth. "Shouldn't we be getting back to work?" Jack looked at his watch and nodded. He kept his arms tight around her.  
Sue squirmed. "Jack!"  
He sighed and gazed down at her. His deep brown eyes shone with love. "Yes, we should get back to work, but I don't want to. I want to sit here and hold you forever."  
Sue smiled dreamily. "I would love to be held forever by you, but we need to go to work."  
"You're right." Jack let go of her and let her sit up.  
Before she could call Levi he captured both her hands in his and waited for her to focus on his lips. Then he spoke the words she had read so often from him recently. "Let's pray first."


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter Twenty-Nine**

Twenty-four hours had past and they still had not found the man in the sketch, who now had a name, Charles Reilly. One of Agent Quinton's former snitches.

Tara sat alone in the bullpen. Her tired, blurry eyes staring at her computer screen, willing it to give her the information they desperately needed.  
Her mind and heart were full of memories of the hours she and Stanley had spent sitting close together at this very desk. Working with Stanley had always given her a burst of energy and focus. They had worked well together. Their intensity and focus feeding off of each other.  
Tara sighed heavily. Stanley probably would have found their man by now. The absence of the encouraging and helpful txts he had always sent when he knew she was working a hard case made the exhaustion weigh more heavily on her. She had been awake for thirty-six hours, but she couldn't sleep. Not when Bobby was depending on her to find Charles.

A ding from her computer brought Tara out of her thoughts. Her hands flew to bring up the tab of one of her many searches. Her tired eyes quickly scanned the information.  
"You can run, but you can't hide." She muttered as she hastily wrote down the address and hurried out of the bullpen.

"I have something." Tara announced as she burst into the conference room. She stopped in her tracks, slightly flustered as the heads of her team, plus Joseph, Rob, and a few from their teams, all swung in her direction.  
"A credit card issued to one of Quinton's undercover alias was just used." Tara waved the slip of paper with the address in the air.  
"Myles and I will take this one, Bobby." Jack said as his friend jumped from his seat.  
"Jack…"  
"No arguments, Crash." Jack snatched the sticky note from Tara's hand. "Great work, Tara." He threw a wink and a smile at Sue and ran out the door.  
Myles followed close behind Jack, pausing in the doorway to whisper in Tara's ear. "Good job. Now get some rest, Tippy Toes."

After Jack and Myles had disappeared those left behind looked at each other in shock. Was it possible that this assignment that had so quickly turned personal would soon be over? And what would they find at the end? Were any of the girls still alive?

Joseph and Rob dismissed their team members to go home and sleep, knowing that there was not much they could do until after the suspect had been interrogated.  
Bobby looked over at Tara. She was slumped exhaustedly against the wall. Her adrenalin had faded and she looked like she would completely collapse at any moment. He made his way over to her.  
"Come on," he spoke softly. "I'll drive you home."  
Tara shook her head. Unable to find the energy to raise her head to look at him, she stared at the floor as she spoke in a whisper. "I want to be here when they bring him in."  
Bobby started to protest, but then realized that she probably wouldn't sleep much if she went home and had to face the loneliness and memories.  
A tender smile crossed his face. "Okay then, let's find you a cot before you fall asleep right here." Bobby slid his arm around her, allowing her to rest her weight against him as he led her to the elevators.

An hour later Bobby was standing alone in the observation room watching Jack and Myles interrogate Charles Reilly. Jack was losing his patience. Bobby was a bit surprised. His friend was usually able to keep his cool for a bit longer.  
"Come on, Reilly! Where are the girls?" Jack punctuated each word of his question with a slap on the table. The man across from him was starting to sweat.

The door to the observation room opened and Sue came in to stand next to Bobby.  
"How's it going?" She asked quietly, laying a hand on his arm.  
Bobby felt his tense muscles relax at her gentle touch. He smiled at her, but it didn't reach his eyes. Sue realized that it had been months since she had seen Bobby's eyes sparkle.

Bobby turned his attention back toward the window and nodded toward the man inside. "It seems to be getting a little hot in there."  
Reilly was speaking. "I told you, I don't know. Look," he cast a beseeching look up at Myles who was leaning casually against the wall. "I just did what I was told. I don't know what the boss did with those girls after I delivered them or even why he wanted them in the first place."  
Jack held back a smile, realizing that Reilly had just confessed to the kidnappings.  
"You're right." Myles nodded thoughtfully. "It's the big fish we really want."  
"And you can give him to us." Jack leaned across the table his dark eyes boring into the prisoner's. "Right now we have you for possession of illegal drugs, kidnapping, and impersonating a federal agent. If we find that any of these girls are no longer alive, we'll be adding accessory to murder to that list. And I will personally guarantee that you never step foot outside the prison again."  
He leaned back in his chair. "But if you give us who we want, I might be inclined to let you enjoy a little bit of freedom at the end of your life."  
Jack rubbed a hand over his face. "The very thought of it makes me sick, so you got about thirty seconds to start talking or the deal's off the table."  
Charles Reilly's eyes darted around the room and more sweat began to run down his face. His hands were shaking. A few more seconds of silence passed and he slumped in his chair defeated. "Okay. I'll talk."


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter Thirty**

The bullpen was filled with the tense energy that always came with planning a take-down. The pieces of the puzzle were coming together.  
In order to pay his bills and keep his gambling a secret Agent Quinton had provided a loan shark with fake FBI IDs, and valuable information on FBI investigations. Quinton had provided Drew Thompson with enough information on the kidnapping investigations to insure that he was always one step ahead of the agents.  
According to Charles Reilly, Thompson would tell him the type of girl he needed, blonde, blue-eyed or African-American, and give him an age-range, Reilly would then use an FBI ID provided by Quinton to lure the girl into his car. Reilly said that Quinton did not know what the IDs were being used for.  
Jack had shown Reilly the picture of Jade. "What about her? She doesn't fit the profiles and she was much younger."  
Reilly had shrugged. "That one was different. The boss had seen her."  
He smirked. "And he wanted her."  
With Agent Quinton's death three years ago, Drew Thompson and his organization had not attempted another kidnapping, but were instead turning their attention to arms-dealing.

As the agents were suiting up and preparing for the take-down, Jack pulled Bobby out into the hall.  
"Bobby." He leveled his dark eyes at his friend. "Can I trust you to play this one by the book no matter what goes down or do you need to stay in the van?"  
"I can handle it, Jack. Let me go in."  
Jack studied Bobby's face for a moment and nodded. "Okay. Don't make me regret this, buddy."  
Bobby clapped Jack on the shoulder. "I won't let you down, mate."

The two teams of agents entered the house simultaneously from the front and the back. Drew Thompson was desperately trying to get out a side door when the agents burst through.  
"FBI! Get your hands on your head!"  
"Get your hands on your head! Now!"  
The suspect was apprehended within seconds and escorted outside. The agents moved through the house, calls of "clear" echoing through their earpieces.

Myles and Joseph descended the basement stairs with their guns ready. They both froze in their tracks at what they saw. The basement was dark. The only windows were high up and had been covered with boards. There were four narrow beds. Each with a thin mattress and tattered blanket. A pair of handcuffs and chain was attached to the metal frame of each bed. In one corner was a toilet. The stale room was filled with the stench of vomit and human waste. Myles clenched his teeth to control his wayward stomach.

Myles' eyes scanned the room while Joseph turned away from the scene before them and spoke quietly into his mic, reporting what they had found. A narrow door on the other side of the room caught Myles' attention. He knew he should wait for Joseph, but was overcome by a sense of urgency.

Crossing the room quickly, Myles tugged the door open. He found himself staring into a tiny room. There was no bed. Only a pile of blankets. A flashlight and a stack of books set on the floor. Huddled against the wall was a small figure with dark brown hair.  
Myles quickly holstered his gun and crouched down. The figure moved and Myles suddenly found himself looking into the most beautiful green eyes he had ever seen. His heart sunk when he saw the terror in those eyes. She shrank back from him and covered her head with her arms.  
"Jade?" Myles spoke softly. "It's okay. I'm with the FBI. My name is Myles. I'm here to help you."  
She didn't respond, but her body began to shake violently as she pressed herself tighter against the wall.  
Moving carefully, Myles eased away from the door and stood. "Bobby." He said into his mic. "You need to get down here."

Bobby raced down the basement stairs only to be stopped by Myles holding up a cautioning hand. Without a word Myles pointed to the small room.  
Bobby knelt and peered into the room. His heart broke. "Jade?"  
A few moments passed. "Bobby?"  
"Yeah, Tagalong. It's me."  
Without warning Jade launched herself from her place by the wall and into Bobby's arms. He stood slowly and she clung. Her arms around his neck and her legs wrapped around his waist. Just as she had always done as a child.  
Bobby groaned as he realized that she wasn't much heavier than she had been at five years old. "It's okay, little shelia. I've got you. You're safe now. You're safe."  
Tears burning his eyes, Bobby slowly turned and carried Jade through the silent, watching agents and to the waiting ambulance.


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter Thirty-One**

The shell-shocked FBI team was directed to a private waiting room to wait for word on Jade's condition. Joseph had volunteered his team to book and interrogate the suspect so that they could all be together at the hospital.  
D had shown up as soon as he could with Donna.  
While Donna sent Sue, Lucy, and Tara to purchase coffee and tried to convince Bobby to stop pacing and sit down, D spoke quietly with Jack and Myles in the corner of the waiting room.  
" Thompson's not talking yet. But we found pictures of our missing girls, plus four others. Thirteen in all counting Jade. All of the pictures, except for Jade, had a price written on the back. As well as, their height, weight, and body type."  
"Sounds like Sue's slavery theory was correct." Myles said quietly.  
D nodded. "Joseph and Rob's teams will handle the rest of the investigation. I want all of you to take a week off. Bobby can have more if he needs it."  
Jack nodded tiredly. "Thanks, D."  
After helping hand out the coffee Donna had purchased, Demetrius leaned against the wall near the door, his eyes scanning the room as he watched over his team. They were silent. Each team member lost in their own thoughts.

The hours dragged by and still there was no word on Jade.  
Sue touched Jack's arm gently.  
He turned to look at her and she nodded to something across the room. Jack looked and a smile appeared on his face. Donna had finally convinced Bobby to sit down and now the exhaustion had won. Bobby and Tara were sound asleep. Tara's head on Bobby's shoulder and his head resting on the top of her head.  
Jack turned back to Sue. "GOOD." He signed. "THEY NEED TO REST."  
Sue looked back over at their friends and smiled softly. "They look good together, don't they?" She whispered. "It reminds me of the night we sat with Billy."  
Jack studied his two friends for a moment before turning back to Sue with a frown. "You think there's something going on between them? They're both still hurting over Stanley and Darcy."  
Sue shrugged. "I know, but they're good for each other. I don't know if anything permanent will develop, but they have been spending a lot of time together."  
Jack glanced back at the sleeping duo. "It would be nice to see them happy again."  
Sue nodded. "Especially Bobby. Tara will always miss Stanley, but she will heal. I believe that eventually she'll be ready to move on. But it's been a long time since Bobby's been happy. He just keeps growing more distant."  
Jack sighed. "I know. I've never seen him like this before. At least not for this long. Every time I think he's coming back and everything's going to be alright, something else happens."  
Jack rubbed the back of his neck. "He's been through so much recently."  
Sue nodded. "I guess all we can do is keep praying for him."  
Jack smiled tenderly. "You're right. Come here, you look tired." He placed his arm around her shoulders and Sue snuggled against him.

"Bobby Manning?" A female doctor asked as she entered the waiting room.  
Bobby snapped awake, startling Tara who was still curled up against him. They glanced at each other and blushed. Tara began straightening her hair and clothes while Bobby stood and faced the doctor.  
"That's me. Is Jade okay?"  
The doctor smiled kindly. "Please, sit back down Agent Manning." She glanced around the waiting room.  
"It's okay." Bobby said. "They're all with me. You can say anything in front of them." He sat back down his eyes never leaving the doctor's face. "Is Jade okay?"  
The doctor pulled a chair over and sat in front of Bobby. "I'm Doctor Robinson. I was called in to examine Jade." She paused and glanced down.  
"Your sister has a very long road of recovery ahead of her, but with the right help and care I think she will be okay. She is severely malnourished. We will have to put her on a special diet and watch her carefully to build up her strength and get her to gain weight. There were signs of several old injuries. Cuts, burns, and broken bones. It appears that most of them were left to heal on their own. There is evidence of a particularly bad break in her left leg and foot. It healed, but not correctly. We can try to correct it with surgery or leave it as it is. Unless, it is causing her pain I would suggest just leaving it alone. She will walk with a slight limp, but she'll be okay."  
The doctor paused again. "The most damaging wounds are the psychological ones. I was called in because she reacts very negatively to male voices. Jade will need to work with a counselor and will not be able to be left alone until we are sure of her emotional state."  
Bobby sniffed and wiped away the tears that had escaped his control. "Was she…" His shaking voice stopped unable to ask the question that needed to be asked.  
The doctor's face softened and she nodded. "Yes." She said quietly. "I'm afraid she was raped repeatedly throughout the years."  
Unable to listen anymore, Bobby jumped up and ran from the room.  
Jack, Myles, and D shared a look. Jack and D followed Bobby while Myles approached the doctor and began asking questions.

Jack and D leaned against the wall outside the men's restroom, waiting for Bobby. They could hear him vomiting violently. Several long minutes passed before Bobby reappeared. His face whiter than Jack had ever seen it.  
Jack raised his eyebrows. "You alright?"  
Bobby nodded silently. D clapped him on the shoulder and the three men walked back to the waiting room.

When they entered the room Tara came over and wordlessly handed Bobby a bottle of ginger ale and a cold wet rag. "Thanks, Beautiful." He wiped his face with the rag and took a sip of the drink.  
"Jade is getting settled in a room. A nurse will come get you when you can see her." Lucy spoke uncertainly.  
Bobby nodded and winked at her.  
Myles approached his partner slowly. "Bobby."  
At the tone of his voice D and Jack quickly moved away to find seats. Myles threw them a grateful glance before turning back to Bobby.  
"Bobby, if it is alright with you I would like to set up a special bank account for Jade. Your family and the team can contribute to it as they desire to. I would like to make sure that she has everything she needs. Medical care, counseling, clothes, schooling, job training. Whatever she needs or wants, I would like to help provide. With your permission."  
Bobby stared at the man in front of him shocked by his generosity. He swallowed hard. "Thank you, Myles. I would appreciate that."


	32. Chapter 32

**Disclaimer: Song Lyrics are not mine.**

**Chapter Thirty-Two**

_Four Weeks Later:_

The wedding had been beautiful and simple just like Jack and Sue had wanted. Now they were gathered in Myles' beautifully landscaped backyard for the reception. Bobby stood with Jade at the edge of the party watching as Jack danced with his mother and Sue with her father on the dance floor that Myles had insisted on providing. The words of the song filtered through Bobby's senses.

_"Is this the little girl I carried?_

_Is this the little boy at play? _

_I don't remember growing older, _

_When did they?_

_ When did she get to be a beauty?_

_ When did he grow to be so tall?_

_ Wasn't it yesterday when they were small?_

_ Sunrise, Sunset, Sunrise, Sunset_

_ Swiftly flow the days._

_ Seedlings turn overnight to sunflowers_

_ Blossoming even as we gaze._

_ Sunrise, Sunset, Sunrise, Sunset_

_ Swiftly fly the years._

_ One season following another_

_ Laden with happiness and tears._

_ What words of wisdom can I give them?_

_ How can I help ease their way?_

_ Now they must learn from one another_

_ Day by Day._

_ They look so natural together_

_ Just like two newlyweds should be_

_ Is there a canopy in store for me?_

_ Sunrise, Sunset, Sunrise, Sunset_

_ Swiftly fly the years_

_ One season following another_

_ Laden with happiness and tears."_

Tears filled Bobby's eyes as he thought of all the sunrises and sunsets his family had missed sharing with Jade. For twenty long years she had been taken from them. Brushing away the tears, Bobby carefully wrapped his arm around his sister's shoulders. To his great relief she didn't tense and shrink back from his touch. It was a victory they had worked hard to achieve.

As the dance with their parents ended, Jack moved to take Sue into his arms.  
Myles approached the couple hesitantly. "Jack, I know this is your special day, but could I have your permission to speak with your wife for a moment?"  
Jack grinned. He didn't think he would ever get over the thrill of hearing Sue referred to as his wife. "Sure, Myles."  
Glancing around, Jack noticed Joseph standing by himself watching Lucy with a forlorn expression on his face. Jack caught Sue's eye and nodded toward him. "I'll be over there, sweetheart."  
Sue nodded.

Myles led Sue to a pair of chairs away from their celebrating friends. "Sue, I apologize for interrupting your wedding reception. I know that this isn't the time or place to ask you to discuss this. But," Myles shrugged. "I guess I have never been known for my sense of timing or tact. And to be perfectly honest I'm not sure I can wait any longer."  
"Myles." Sue laid a gentle hand on his arm. "It's alright. What's on your mind?"  
Myles sighed heavily and looked away. "I think Tara mentioned to you Stanley's conversion and the Bibles he left behind." Sue nodded, smiling. "Yes. I was very glad to hear that Stanley had come to know the Lord before his death. I look forward to seeing him again one day."  
Myles nodded. "I never believed in God." He shrugged. "Well, I say I didn't. But the truth is I never really gave the subject much thought until you came along. Knowing you and reading the information Stanley left for me has convinced me not only of the existence of God, but also of the truth of the Bible."  
Myles looked back at Sue. His blue eyes intent. "I believe, Sue. I do."  
His gaze shifted to the ground. "But how could God ever forgive me after what I did to Lucy and the way I treated you? How could anyone forgive me for that, but especially a holy and righteous God."  
"Myles," Sue spoke softly, praying silently for wisdom. "God wants to forgive you. He's waiting for you with open arms. The Bible tells us in I John that if we confess our sins, God will forgive us. And Myles, I forgave you a long time ago. And Lucy has forgiven you."  
Myles looked up in shock. Hope mingled with the deep pain in his eyes. "She has?"  
Sue nodded. "It was very hard for her, but she had to. You see, Myles, Lucy is a Christian too. It would be a sin for her not to forgive you. I knew that it was wrong and would only hurt her and her relationship with the Lord if she continued to live in bitterness. So I had to confront her about it. It was hard, but she chose to forgive you. She has been praying for you to come to know the Lord. So have I, and Jack, and D."  
"Lucy's been praying for me?"  
Sue nodded.  
Myles wiped away tears. "And God will forgive me? I can be born again like Stanley was?"  
"Yes, Myles. God loves you."  
Myles sniffed. "What do I have to do?"  
"Just ask Him, Myles. Tell Him that you know you are a sinner. That you believe that His Son Jesus Christ took your punishment on the cross. Ask Him to save you. To come into your life and make you a new creature. Turn your life over to Him, Myles."  
Myles nodded. "Can I do it now?"  
Sue smiled. "You can do it now. Right here."  
Myles nodded again and bowed his head.

After praying, Myles leaped from his chair and pulled Sue into a tight hug. "Thank you, Sue!" He kissed her soundly on the cheek a huge smile covering his face.  
Sue smiled and hugged him back. "I'm so happy for you, Myles. This makes this day even more special."  
Myles suddenly sobered. "I need to talk to Lucy."  
Sue nodded. "There is something you should know, Myles. Because Lucy was so hurt by you and others she has closed her heart off to happiness and love. She thinks that she only attracts the wrong kind of guy. That she's not good enough." Tears filled Myles' eyes. "Is that why she has been refusing to give Joseph the time of day?"  
Sue nodded sadly.  
Myles groaned and hung his head.  
Sue placed a gentle had on his arm. "Go talk to her, Myles. She'll listen to you. And she needs to know that her prayers have been answered."  
Myles nodded and wiped away the tears. "You're right."

Sue hurried over to where Jack stood talking to Joseph a big smile on her face. She signed something and a wide grin spread over Jack's face.  
"Joseph," he clapped the other man on the shoulder and nodded toward where Myles was leading Lucy away from the party. "Let Myles talk to Lucy then go ask her to dance. Everything's going to be alright."  
Joseph gave Jack a bewildered look and nodded. "Okay."

Jack turned to Sue and pulled her close. "I love you."  
"I love you too."  
"Thank you, sweetheart."  
Sue gave him a puzzled look. "For what?"  
"For being the kind of woman who will take time on her wedding day to share the Gospel with a friend."  
Sue smiled and leaned closer to him. "Thank you for being the kind of man who would let me. And who would take the time on his wedding day to rejoice over the salvation of a friend."  
Smiling, Jack leaned forward and placed a kiss on her lips. Catching D's eye, he nodded. Demetrius smiled and changed the c.d.  
As the music began to play Jack stepped back and extended his hand. "Will you dance with me, Mrs. Hudson?"  
"I would love to, Mr. Hudson."  
"I picked this song for our dance. Every time I've heard it since the bachelor auction it has reminded me of our first dance and I wanted to sing it to you." As he led her around the dance floor, Jack softly sang the words.

_"I'll always remember,_

_ The song they were playing,_

_ The first time we danced and I knew_

_ As we swayed to the music,_

_ And held to each other,_

_ I fell in love with you._

_ Could I have this dance_

_ For the rest of my life?_

_ Could you be my partner every night?_

_ When we're together,_

_ It feels so right._

_ Could I have this dance,_

_ For the rest of my life?_

_ I'll always remember,_

_ That magic moment,_

_ When I held you close to me_

_ As we moved together,_

_ I knew forever,_

_ You're all I'll ever need._

_ Could I have this dance,_

_ For the rest of my life?_

_ Could you be my partner every night?_

_ When we're together,_

_ It feels so right._

_ Could I have this dance,_

_ For the rest of my life?_

_ Could I have this dance,_

_ For the rest of my life?_

_ Could you be my partner every night?_

_ When we're together,_

_ It feels so right._

_ Could I have this dance,_

_ For the rest of my life?"_


	33. Epilogue

Thank you to all who have read and reviewed.

**Epilogue**

_Eleven Months Later:_

Jack Hudson yawned as he entered the bullpen and made a beeline for the coffeepot.  
"Nice of you to show up, Jack. Did young Sir Jackson keep you awake again last night?"  
Jack glared at Myles and grabbed the coffeepot.  
D chuckled as he entered the room. "All right, guys. We have two hours before the bust. Let's make sure we do this one right. Carlos Santiago is one of the biggest drug runners there is and this will probably be our only chance to catch him. Jack, I want you in the van with Tara."  
Jack's head snapped up and he opened his mouth to protest.  
D held up a hand, stopping him before he could say anything. "Save it, Jack. I remember what it's like to be a new father. Until things have settled down a bit at home I am not going to put you in a dangerous position."  
"Yeah, Sparky." Bobby grinned. "We don't want to have to dig you out of the garbage can after the bust because you fell asleep doing hobo duty."  
Jack turned his glare onto his friend and took a gulp of coffee, wincing as the hot liquid burned his tongue.  
D hid his smile. "Jack and Tara will be in the van. Myles will be on hobo duty."  
Bobby smirked. "You play that role really well, Myles." Myles rolled his eyes. "I'm bringing in Rob's team as well. They'll be stationed around the area too. I'm afraid you won't be able to wear a wire, Bobby. Or a vest. If you feel things are going even slightly south, give the prearranged signal."  
D leveled a serious look at Bobby. "Don't try to be superman."  
Bobby nodded.

Two hours later Jack was sitting in the surveillance van with Tara, watching as Bobby began making a deal with one of the most wanted drug dealers in the world.  
Suddenly without warning a second man burst from Santiago's car and shouted something in Spanish. Santiago pulled out a gun. "No!" Jack vaulted out of the van and tackled Bobby to the ground just as bullets flew through the air.

Agents swarmed the area and quickly took down Santiago and his partner.  
Bobby pushed away the weight that was holding him down and sat up. "No!" The anguished cry tore out of him as he saw the red stain growing on his best friend's shirt. "We need an ambulance!" Bobby shouted as he cradled Jack's head in his lap. "You stupid drongo. Why didn't you stay in the van? Why'd you do it, Jack?" Tears choked Bobby's voice.  
Jack's dark eyes fluttered open. "That's easy, Crash." He said weakly. "I'm ready for eternity. You're not." Jack's eyes closed again. He struggled to take a breath. "Take care of Sue and baby." His voice trailed off.  
"_No_." Bobby ground out. "You are _not_ doing this, mate. You hear me? You hang on. Sparky, don't you dare do this. You hang on."

Sue Hudson burst through the hospital ER doors and searched the room frantically. Her eyes fell on the hunched figure of Bobby. She shoved one-month old Jackson at the nearest person. Myles accepted the newborn awkwardly.  
Sue rushed across the room and sat next to Bobby. "Bobby." She placed a trembling hand on his back.  
He refused to look at her and drew back from her touch.  
"Bobby, please." Sue pleaded. "I need you." Her voice broke.  
Bobby sat up quickly and drew Sue into his arms, allowing her to bury herself in his chest. For several minutes their tears mingled together while the rest of the agents watched silently.

Finally Sue sat back up.  
Bobby looked at her with a pain deeper than anything she had ever seen in his green eyes. "Why'd he do it, Sue? He has so much to live for. You and Jackson."  
Sue wiped the tears from her face and smiled sadly. "Because he's ready for heaven. And you're not."  
Bobby stared at her in shock. "That's what Jack said."  
"Don't you see, Bobby? If I," she paused as the tears choked her once again. "If I lose Jack, I'll know that he's in a better place and that we'll be together again. But if we lost you, we wouldn't know that. Jack couldn't stand by and watch you die knowing that you're not ready."  
Bobby looked away. More tears slid down his face and dropped onto the hospital floor.  
Sue rubbed his back gently. "Bobby, with Jack and D coming back to God, Jade being a believer, Myles and Tara getting saved, and now this, God's trying to get your attention. Can't you see that? Can't you see how much He loves you? He's not going to give up on you. Can't you see that?"  
Bobby nodded his head slightly.  
Hope filled Sue's heart. "Can't you see that you need His forgiveness? That you need Him?"  
Bobby nodded again. His tears coming faster now.  
"You know what to do, Bobby. We've all told you enough."  
Bobby nodded. He leaned forward and covered his face with his hands.  
And there in a cold hospital waiting room, while his best friend was fighting for his life down the hall, Bobby Manning finally stopped running from the God who loved him.

"**Greater love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13**

**The End...For Now**


End file.
